# AI firms plan underwater data centers in whale habitats

> DeepGreen Holdings wants to build $100m underwater data centers off Maine and Alaska, but campaigners say the noise and heat could devastate endangered whale populations.
- Title: AI firms plan underwater data centers in whale habitats
- Summary: DeepGreen Holdings wants to build $100m underwater data centers off Maine and Alaska, but campaigners say the noise and heat could devastate endangered whale…
- Keywords: deepgreen holdings, underwater data centers, maine, alaska, north atlantic right whale, cook inlet beluga whale, endangered species, ai infrastructure, environmental impact, technology, firms, plan
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/were-deeply-concerned-underwater-ai-data-centers-proposed-for-maine-and-alaska-but-critics-say-they-could-endanger-whale-species
- Published: 2026-10-29T20:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: deepgreen holdings, underwater data centers, maine, alaska, north atlantic right whale, cook inlet beluga whale, endangered species, ai infrastructure, environmental impact, technology
## AI firm plans underwater data centers
DeepGreen Holdings has proposed building a one hundred million dollar underwater data center off Western Passage, Maine, and Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska. The facilities would cover one thousand six hundred fifty acres.
## Why build data centers underwater
AI data centers need enormous amounts of water to keep machines running at optimal temperatures. Building them underwater solves this cooling problem by providing direct access to water.
## The facilities would be massive
DeepGreen's proposal includes sixty-six compute pods and three hundred tidal turbines spread across the one thousand six hundred fifty acre sites in Maine and Alaska.
## Critical whale habitats at risk
The Gulf of Maine site overlaps critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale. Upper Cook Inlet is designated critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale.
## Noise pollution threatens whale survival
Whales rely on echolocation for feeding, navigation and social activities. Construction of enormous data centers would produce sizable noise pollution that could adversely affect endangered whale populations.
## Heat could starve the whales
The heat produced by data centers could scare off the cold-water prey that whales need to survive, according to researchers, threatening populations already endangered.
## Campaigners call plans outrageous
Cooper Freeman of the Alaska Center for Biological Diversity described the move as just really outrageous, saying the proposal lacks awareness of how dangerous this is for the inlet.

> just really outrageous
## Public opposition mounts online
Reddit users expressed strong opposition, with some questioning whether underwater data centers are even feasible long-term due to hardware longevity concerns.
## Key takeaway

AI firm DeepGreen proposed building underwater data centers off Maine and Alaska to cool their machines, but the sites overlap critical habitats for endangered whales, drawing fierce opposition from researchers and the public.