N-Ark's proposes floating cities with underwater Edge data centers

Japanese start-up N-Ark has unveiled designs for a floating city named ‘Dogen City,’ which, as the climate crisis worsens, looks to be a place of refuge for those who can afford to escape the effects of climate change.  That said, the company also shared that it would also "accept and provide advanced education to victims of natural disasters and climate refugees.”

Spanning 1.58 kilometers in diameter and approximately 4 kilometers in circumference, the floating ‘Dogen City,’ is reportedly inspired by Noah’s Ark and has been described as a city that function like a small village, accommodating about 10,000 residents and 30,000 daytime visitors and tourists.

Alongside hospitals, food production facilities, hotels, parks and offices, the city would also feature an underwater sea-cooled data center for city management, healthcare, and drug discovery. This data center would be naturally cooled by the sea. 

In the launch statement, the company said that in 2018 and 2019, Japan’s flood damage amounted to about 2.15 trillion yen ($15.35bn), at about 1,405 billion yen ($10bn) nationwide; this is reportedly the largest amount of damage caused by floods other than tsunamis for the second consecutive year since statistics began.

“As many as six million people across Japan may be affected by flooding if Co2 reduction measures are not progressing in 2030,” the company said, highlighting that farming is particularly affected by this. To address this, the metropolis would also produce 7,000 tons of food annually through cultivation technology that utilizes seawater. 

While details around the location have yet to be released, along with other details, such as the budget, it reportedly plans to complete the project by 2030.