Planned Ulsan undersea city to showcase cutting-edge technologies

[Courtesy of the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion]

In 2026, South Korea is set to construct its first undersea city off the coast of Sinri Port in Ulsan, a metropolitan city in southeastern South Korea. The innovative project will encompass a residential town, an underwater data center jointly developed by Microsoft Corp. and other tech firms, and a laboratory for scientific experiments, and will serve as a demonstration site for cutting-edge design, construction, operation, and maintenance technologies for undersea cities.

Han Taek-hee, a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), a quasi-government ocean research organization, disclosed these plans during a conference call titled the 4th Ocean Fisheries Science and Technology Innovation Forum. The chosen construction site is Ulsan’s offshore waters due to favorable conditions including low turbidity, tide levels, and water temperature that make the underwater construction more feasible. The lack of seabed subsidence over the past two decades also enhances safety.

The underwater structure, spanning 11,720 square meters, comprises a main module housing equipment and research spaces, a residential module for underwater habitats, and a data module hosting an underwater data center. The data module is of special interest as it significantly reduces operating costs compared to land-based data centers, requiring half the cooling expenses. For its part, Microsoft has been actively involved in underwater data center research since 2014.

The undersea city will be situated 900 meters offshore and 30 meters below the seabed, with robotic assistance for underwater construction. A total of 22 industrial and academic research organizations, including prestigious institutions like the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., and SK telecom Co. will invest 37.3 billion won ($28 million) into the project until 2026.

The undersea city will explore various applications, including marine resource development, research, and environmental monitoring. Han highlighted the importance of undersea cities in addressing future technological challenges and promoting sustainable human development.