The Pacific futures of subsea data centers

Abstract

This article considers current research and development efforts around the creation of subsea data centers. Such experiments (e.g. Microsoft’s Project Natick) aim to identify new techniques for maximizing data center efficiency by harnessing the cooling effects of the surrounding ocean. To date, subsea data center experiments have had more success in Atlantic contexts, but the history of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the sea suggests that subsea data centers will no doubt have Pacific futures. Situating this discussion within the unique cultural and environmental landscapes of the Pacific islands, particularly Hawaiʻi, we anticipate anxieties that stem from historical patterns of project development that lack consideration of cultural impact. We argue that a pre-conversation about subsea data centers is necessary given the extant data infrastructures in Hawaiʻi already corroding or within the margins of risk for obsolescence and decay. Finally, as islands and island nations, especially, are often targets for colonization as vital hubs in underwater information and communication networks, the article examines the tensions in such subsea experiments between impact and impermanence, between global and local, and between corporate and community.