China Holds 80% of Underwater Data Centre Patents
The patent lead signals where seabed cooling know-how is accumulating, though the study does not show how many facilities are operating.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Data Centers
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China holds about 80 percent of global underwater data centre patents, according to a study of 168 patents filed between 2006 and 2026 by researchers in Tianjin. The technology is research-stage and patent-based; the study measures patent activity, not deployed facilities.
Why it matters
Underwater data centres use surrounding seawater as a natural cold source, a potential answer to rising cooling and energy demands from data centres and artificial intelligence. The patent concentration suggests China is building an early lead in a niche that could expand from nearshore sites into deep-sea applications.
The study counts patents rather than measured performance, so it does not establish operating efficiency. The one reported operational result is from Microsoft's Project Natick, where servers deployed off Scotland from 2018 for two years showed a failure rate one-eighth that of a land-based control group.
The players
Microsoft
Microsoft ran Project Natick, which deployed sealed underwater server capsules off Scotland and reported a failure rate one-eighth that of its land-based control group.
Tianjin researchers
Two researchers from the Patent Examination Cooperation Centre and the National Marine Data and Information Service in Tianjin authored the patent study published in the Journal of Marine Information Technology and Application.
The details
Underwater data centres place servers in sealed capsules on the seabed or in shallow coastal water, where the surrounding seawater absorbs and carries away the heat the equipment produces. This works as a natural cold source, which reduces the energy and water normally used for cooling and avoids taking up land. Patent activity expanded after 2015, with filings concentrated on capsule design and thermal management, the engineering of keeping the sealed units within safe temperatures.
Timeline
Between 2006 and 2026, the study period covering 168 underwater data centre patents.
Before 2014, early development was led mainly by firms in the United States, Norway and Canada.
In 2018, Microsoft deployed Project Natick servers off the coast of Scotland for two years.
Since 2021, China has emerged as the main growth engine, holding around 80 percent of patents.
The Tech Race
Microsoft's Project Natick, deployed off Scotland in 2018, was the field's best-known early demonstration, and the study shows that the subsequent patent race has since moved decisively toward China. The United States and South Korea trail far behind by patent count, with the study noting that China's sector is expected to expand from nearshore into the deep sea.
Underwater data centres are not yet an everyday service for most users, and the study does not give availability, pricing or deployment dates. The practical effect for now is on the firms and institutions planning new cooling and capacity strategies for AI workloads.
The takeaway
The patent concentration in China signals where underwater data centre know-how is accumulating, and watching whether those patents turn into operating facilities will show whether the technology scales. Track whether China's planned expansion from nearshore sites into the deep sea produces named deployments with published reliability and cooling-efficiency figures.
Further reading
For broader context on how cooling and power needs are reshaping facility design, see our coverage of Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by South China Morning Post.
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