Eric Masanet, who studies data centers and sustainability at University of California at Santa Barbara said the idea of putting data centers underwater isn’t science fiction. Microsoft’s Project Natick near Scotland found submerged data centers could work more reliably than those on land. Earlier this year, another submerged data center was reportedly deployed in China. The first is a straightforward ban on any data center bigger than 25,000 square feet. Either way, opponents vow to keep fighting the data center idea as long as it takes.