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July 23, 2025—China is putting data centers underwater, Ozzy Osbourne's rare form of Parkinson's, and another heat wave is about to set in.
—Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Ozzy Osbourne at the press conference in New York City on July 28, 2006. George Taylor/Everett Collection/Alamy Stock Photo | | | | |
An underwater data center being submerged into the ocean off the coast of Shanghai. Shanghai Hailanyun Technology | | | Data Centers Under the Sea | Enormous data centers guzzle hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day to cool the processors that power AI, cloud computing, and other digital technology. While many data centers are located in the world's driest places because dry air reduces the risks of damage to the equipment from humidity, China is taking the opposite approach and will soon put a data center in the wettest place on Earth—the ocean. This June, construction began on a wind-powered underwater data center about six miles off the coast of Shanghai, one of China's AI hubs. How it works: Data facilities consume vast amounts of electricity and water. Servers generate waste heat as a by-product, which can damage equipment and destroy data. Almost half of the electricity consumed by an ordinary data center goes to cooling them: the centers chill water and spray it into the air that circulates around the servers where it evaporates, lowering server temperatures. That water can come from underground, from nearby rivers or streams, or from reclaimed wastewater. Underwater data centers will instead use pipes to pump seawater through a radiator on the back of server racks to absorb heat and carry it away. What the experts say: "China's ambitious approach signals a bold shift toward low-carbon digital infrastructure, and it could influence global norms in sustainable computing," says Shabrina Nadhila, an analyst at energy-focused think tank Ember, who has researched data centers. — Andrea Tamayo, newsletter writer | | An artist's rendering of a wind-powered underwater data center being built off the coast of Shanghai. Shanghai Hailanyun Technology | | - Tesla launched self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas, last month. But many consumers may be too weirded out by them to participate. | Wired
- Researchers have discovered a new kind of magnet that could be used to develop entirely novel computing. | New Scientist
- Health secretary RFK, Jr. wants to overhaul an obscure but vital program related to childhood immunizations. Such changes could limit vaccine availability in the U.S. | ProPublica
| | In 2010 Ozzy Osbourne became the first rock star to have his entire genome sequenced. The singer was interested to learn more about his particular type of Parkinson's disease, with which he was diagnosed in 2003. But he was also keen to discover any particular genomic explanation for what made him Ozzy, said Jorge Conde, co-founder and chief executive of the "genome interpretation" company Knome (which was later sold) in an interview with Scientific American. The sequencing revealed genetic signals associated with addiction and differential nerve cell communication, and a stretch of DNA likely passed down from Neandertals. You can watch a TEDMED talk from 2010 that walks through the details of Osbourne's chromosomes. Unsurprisingly, no OZZY gene was discovered; a complex composition of genetics, environment and personality created the prince of darkness. Just like it did for the rest of us. | | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | | |
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