Tropical paradise charts high-tech roadmap for growth

From the depths of the ocean to the edge of space, Hainan province is boldly carving out new frontiers and transforming its natural advantages into engines of high-tech growth.

As a white, 18-meter-long cylindrical structure slowly descended into the sea off the coast of Lingshui Li autonomous county in Hainan this spring, the underwater intelligent computing pod connected with an existing subsea data center, marking the official launch of the world's first underwater intelligent computing cluster for commercial use.

"This pod forms part of the Hainan underwater intelligent computing center," said Pu Ding, general manager of the Hainan underwater data center demonstration project. "Each pod can house over 400 high-performance servers, and through a nearby land-based station, they bridge data to end-users."