South Korean city bets on the ocean to solve its AI data center crisis — but this is only the beginning
- Ulsan is testing underwater data centers to support growing AI workloads
- The project carries a KRW 51.1 billion (about $37 million) budget through 2030
- Seawater could provide cooling without conventional mechanical refrigeration systems
South Korean city Ulsan is exploring underwater infrastructure as AI computing continues to strain land availability, power grids, and cooling systems nationwide.
The city is partnering with the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) to design a standardized subsea data center model.
Officials hope the approach can ease some of the site and cooling constraints that conventional data centers increasingly face across the country.
Building a standardized underwater model
The partnership between Ulsan and KIOST runs through 2030, with a combined budget of KRW 51.1 billion (about $37 million) - KRW 40 billion (about $29 million) of which comes directly from the central government, with the remainder covered locally.
“Ulsan plans to complete the standard...
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