A proposed underwater data center in Alaska's Cook Inlet would place more than 300 tidal turbines into a habitat shared by roughly 300 critically endangered beluga whales, raising concerns about potential impacts on the vulnerable species.
Here's what to know
Developer DeepGreen Holdings LLC has proposed installing 66 underwater data center pods across 1,650 acres in the inlet, according to Scientific American.
Tidal power is what drew DeepGreen to the tidal estuary in south-central Alaska and to the Gulf of Maine. The Trump administration is considering the company's proposals for underwater facilities at both sites, where a cooling benefit would come from transferring server heat to seawater.
The process would potentially reduce reliance on the large quantities of fresh water used to cool land-based data centers. However, persistent noise in the surrounding habitat is a potential drawback.
"Pumps, fans, and especially turbine arrays make continuous low-frequency sound, and pile-driving during construction is louder still," Columbia University professor and computer scientist Vishal Misra told Scientific American.
Meanwhile, as glacial runoff clouds Cook Inlet's waters, belugas there are reliant almost exclusively on echolocation to complete feeding, mating, and navigation, the outlet explained, pointing to noise as more than an annoyance for the animals.
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More background
But noise isn't the only concern: Heat released by the facilities could also affect marine life.
Salmon, a major food source for belugas, could be impacted. The fish depend on cold water for egg development, stable metabolism, and conserving energy during migration. Changes in water temperature could therefore pose another challenge for the whales by affecting their food supply.
The Maine proposal raises similar concerns for another vulnerable species.
The project in that state would occupy 27 acres and use up to 50 tidal turbines near feeding grounds for North Atlantic right whales, whose population numbers fewer than 400. Warming waters in the early 2010s prompted right whales to leave those feeding grounds.
The proposals also come amid a broader debate about the resource demands of computing infrastructure, including artificial intelligence. While AI could be used to help optimize clean-energy systems, the infrastructure supporting it also requires huge amounts of energy and cooling water.
What's being done?
Multiple organizations have sought to intervene in proceedings concerning the Cook Inlet proposal.
In Maine, the city of Eastport unanimously adopted a moratorium on the DeepGreen project in August, following a letter of deficiency from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The FERC initially found both the Maine and Alaska proposals deficient, citing missing details and failures to adequately identify Indigenous tribes historically connected to the locations.
The agency later accepted amended applications. However, FERC representative Celeste Miller told Scientific American, "A preliminary permit does not authorize construction of any kind." And in a late-September letter to the agency, the city of Eastport asked FERC to deny the undersea project.
The Maine and Alaska proposals continue to be connected. As the Maine Monitor reported in early October, "Commenters from Alaska Commercial Fisheries Conservation Alliance, who objected to the FERC docket assigned to Cook Inlet Alaska, also registered their formal objection letter to the Eastport project's comments, citing similar concerns about impacts on local water temperature and commercial fisheries in the area."
DeepGreen developer Louis Wolfson told Scientific American that licensing and deployment of the proposals would depend on equipment operating safely under federal limits protecting marine mammals.
Proposed federal changes, however, could weaken overall protections for marine mammals.
Where can I learn more?
Data centers on land are also drawing scrutiny over their possible environmental impacts. These stories examine concerns over water and farmland, potential health risks, and permitting disputes:
• Campaigners warn the AI data center boom is driving a surge in forever chemicals.
• Washington's Skagit County weighs banning new data centers amid concerns about water and farmland.
• Arizona's Pima County flags potential heat, air, and noise risks associated with data centers.
• Utah lawmakers question whether data centers justify their power and water demands and infrastructure costs.
• A Wyoming judge dismissed a permit challenge involving a data center amid water and safety fears.
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