DeepGreen Proposes $100m Underwater AI Data Centers Off Maine and Alaska
The plan covers about 1,650 acres, 66 compute pods and 300 tidal turbines, with sites overlapping endangered whale habitat.
DeepGreen Holdings has proposed a $100 million underwater AI data center project off the coasts of Maine and Alaska, according to techradar.com. The proposal covers sites at Western Passage in Maine and Upper Cook Inlet in Alaska.
The facilities would span about 1,650 acres and include 66 compute pods and 300 tidal turbines.
The Gulf of Maine site overlaps critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale, while Upper Cook Inlet is designated critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale.
Researchers say construction noise could disturb whale echolocation used for feeding, navigation and social activity, and that heat from the data centers could drive away cold-water prey the whales need.
Cooper Freeman of the Alaska Center for Biological Diversity called the move outrageous and said the proposal lacks awareness of the danger to the inlet.
Quick answers
What is DeepGreen Holdings proposing?
A $100 million underwater AI data center project at Western Passage in Maine and Upper Cook Inlet in Alaska.
Why are conservation groups concerned?
The sites overlap critical whale habitat, and researchers say construction noise and heat could affect the whales and their prey.