NetworkOcean also believes this will cause minor heating. “Our modeling shows a change of 2 degrees Fahrenheit over an area of 8 square feet, or a change of 0.004 degrees Fahrenheit over the body surface” of the water, Mendel says. He took credence from Microsoft’s finding that water a few meters downstream from its testing warmed only slightly.
A sheltered bay
Shaolei Ren, a UC Riverside associate professor of electrical and computer engineering who studies the impact of artificial intelligence on the environment, compares plans for an underwater data center with NetworkOcean’s announced capacity, when operating at full capacity, to the operation of heating appliances for about 300 bedrooms. (Mendel disputed the concern, citing Project Natick’s apparently minimal impact.) A few years ago, a project that proposed using water from San Francisco Bay to cool an onshore data center failed to win approval after they expressed public concerns, including about temperatures.
San Francisco Bay averages about a dozen feet deep, as saltwater from the Pacific Ocean that flows under the Golden Gate Bridge mixes with fresh runoff from a vast swath of Northern California. Experts say it’s not clear that any place in the expanse would be suitable for more than a small demonstration among its muddy, shallow, salty and stormy parts.
Also, securing permits could require proving to at least nine regulatory agencies and several critical nonprofits that a data center would be worthwhile, according to agency spokesmen and five experts on Gulf politics. For example, under the law administered by the Conservation and Development Commission, the public benefit of a project must “clearly outweigh” the harm, and developers must show that there is no suitable site on the land.
Other agencies are looking at waste emissions and harm to the region’s handful of endangered fish and birds (including the notorious delta smelt). Even a temporary design requires approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which reviews obstructions to ship and boat traffic as well as waterboarding. “For example, temporarily placing a large structure in an eel bed can have a lasting impact on the eel, which is critical habitat for certain fish,” says the water board’s Lichten.
For permanent installations, Kim and Mendel say they are looking at other locations in the U.S. and abroad, which they declined to name, and that they are engaging with relevant regulators.
Mendel insists the “SF Bay” test announced last month will move forward — and soon. “We’re still building the ship,” he says. A community of marine scientists will keep their thermometers close.
