Shipbuilders Have Initiated Floating Data Center Projects
As land-based power constraints mount, marine engineering firms are pivoting to ocean-based infrastructure models.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Data Centers
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Shipbuilders in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore have advanced several floating data center initiatives this year, moving from initial reviews to construction and certification. These projects aim to leverage marine environments to bypass land-based site acquisition and power cooling challenges.
Why it matters
Floating facilities address critical bottlenecks for data center expansion, specifically the difficulty in securing land, obtaining permits, and managing electricity supply. By utilizing seawater for thermal management, these designs aim to decouple infrastructure growth from urban density constraints.
Current designs include a 25-MW Keppel project under construction, a 30-MW design certified by Seatrium, and a 60-MW-class unit unveiled by Hanwha Ocean. These capacities represent a move toward modular, high-density infrastructure designed for installation near client locations.
The players
Keppel
A Singaporean conglomerate with extensive expertise in marine and offshore engineering that is pivoting toward floating data center infrastructure.
Hanwha Ocean
A major South Korean shipbuilder that provides large-scale marine vessel construction and has recently moved into modular floating data center designs.
Seatrium
An offshore engineering and shipbuilding company that is securing safety and performance certifications for floating server infrastructure.
MOL
A Japanese shipping and transport firm focused on sustainable marine engineering and the repurposing of existing vessel hulls for data storage.
Samsung Heavy Industries
A South Korean shipbuilding leader developing modular data center facilities designed for rapid deployment near client-critical locations.
The details
Floating data centers utilize seawater—the natural environment of the surrounding ocean—to provide efficient cooling, reducing the reliance on energy-intensive mechanical air conditioning found in land-based facilities. Shipbuilders are modularizing server facility components for shipyard assembly and subsequent deployment, while Japanese firms are focused on repurposing existing ship hulls to minimize capital expenditure and project timelines.
Timeline
Keppel reviewed the floating data center business in 2019.
Keppel received government approval for its business in 2023.
MOL started a project to convert used ships in March 2026.
Seatrium received basic certification in July 2026.
Samsung Heavy Industries and Musterian signed a contract in August 2026.
The Tech Race
This development moves beyond initial proof-of-concept experiments like the Microsoft Project Natick underwater data center pilot. Shipbuilders are now racing to establish a viable commercial standard for modular, high-capacity marine computing infrastructure.
These projects will initially impact the enterprise cloud and hyperscale providers who face power limitations in coastal metropolitan areas. Users should look for 2027 and 2028 as the timeframe for these facilities to begin supporting regional compute workloads.
The takeaway
The shift toward floating data centers signals a fundamental move to decouple large-scale compute power from traditional real estate constraints. Watch the 2027 and 2028 operational targets to see if these marine designs can achieve parity with terrestrial data center reliability and maintenance costs.
What happens next
Operations are targeted for 2027 by MOL and 2028 by Keppel, providing clear dates for the transition from construction to live facility service.
Further reading
For more on evolving infrastructure requirements, read our coverage in Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 조선일보.
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Is shifting data centers to the ocean a viable long-term solution for global power demands?
