A tidal-powered data center?

A low-carbon vision for data centers

When completed, MeyGen will be the world's largest tidal energy plant, powered by the strong waves north of Scotland. We’ve been working with renewable energy company SIMEC Atlantis Energy to assess the feasibility of creating a data center with access to this predictable source of renewable energy.

Powerful tides to feed the biggest users

To feed our growing demand, data centers are some of the world’s biggest consumers of power. Every second of the day, every person creates 1.7 megabytes of new information – equivalent to 340 e-mails – says NodeGraph, a data intelligence platform.

To service this demand sustainably, data centers need clean, reliable sources of electricity. We’ve been working with SIMEC Atlantis Energy on its MeyGen tidal energy plant in the Pentland Firth between the Scottish mainland and the Orkney Islands to see if a data center could be run by this powerful renewable energy source. Pentland Firth has some of the world’s most powerful tidal resources, with currents reaching 11 miles per hour.

Over 90 percent more power on its way

The site is close to a number of existing or planned high speed international fiber optic cables and we’ve been looking at the feasibility of harnessing this predictable source of renewable power to run a data center with grid back-up, in a location where the low temperatures can help to keep it cool.

MeyGen currently has a capacity of 6 megawatts with plans to expand by another 80 megawatts in what could become a model for other ocean-powered facilities.