The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the design of a 50-megawatt (MW) floating data centre.
SHI’s design employs a standardised shipbuilding process, allowing design, manufacturing, and equipment installation to occur concurrently. This approach is intended to shorten lead times compared to traditional land-based data centre construction.
The facility also features a power generation system to reduce reliance on local onshore electricity grids.
“The rapidly growing capabilities of artificial intelligence present a clear opportunity to support the expanding infrastructure requirements of AI and data-intensive operations. As demand for data centres continues to increase, moving them offshore could mitigate certain risks while reducing the strain on local energy grids,” said Gareth Burton, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering.
Earlier this year, SHI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mousterian, a United States-based developer, to pursue projects in the North American market, and has established technical partnerships with ABB for the development of the power systems for the floating data centres.
“Floating Data Centres represent a new business model that extends shipbuilding capabilities into the digital infrastructure sector,” said Ahn Young-Kyu, Chief Technology Officer (EVP) of Samsung Heavy Industries.
“Combined with eco-friendly energy solutions, it will set new standards in the global data market and serve as a key driver of future growth.”
