en.Wedoany.com Reported - Samsung Heavy Industries signed a tripartite agreement with Greek shipowner Capital Clean Energy Carriers and Lloyd's Register at the Posidonia shipping exhibition in Athens, aiming to commercialize a 50MW floating data center. The shipyard had previously collaborated with Supermicro to verify the operational stability of AI servers in marine environments. Its design combines seawater cooling with LNG fuel cell onboard power supply, with a business model similar to tanker chartering, where the shipowner purchases the platform and leases capacity to operators through long-term contracts.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the three parties clarifies the division of responsibilities: Samsung Heavy Industries is responsible for technology and construction, Capital Clean Energy Carriers for project procurement and investment, and Lloyd's Register for regulation and certification. Samsung Heavy Industries also signed a second MoU with Lloyd's Register Advisory, a consulting arm of Lloyd's Register, covering feasibility studies and North American market assessment.
The 50MW project received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping and Lloyd's Register in April. When moored at ports or coastal waters, the platform can draw power from external grids via submarine cables or generate its own electricity using LNG-based solid oxide fuel cells, thereby bypassing the grid connection queue issues faced by land-based projects. Jerry Kalogiratos, CEO of Capital Clean Energy Carriers, stated in Lloyd's Register's announcement that floating data centers offer "a scalable and flexible solution with the unique advantage of mobility."
The agreement with Supermicro focuses on whether precision AI hardware can withstand environmental factors such as vibration, tilt, salt, and humidity over a multi-year service life. Samsung Heavy Industries will develop offshore positioning control and sealing technologies against salt and moisture, while Supermicro is responsible for verifying server operating conditions in river and marine environments. The shipyard is leveraging its experience with floating LNG production facilities to integrate power, cooling, network, and safety systems into a single hull.
Elsewhere in the industry, Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) is collaborating with Karpowership to build a 73MW floating data center, planned for deployment in 2027; China's Shanghai Offshore 24MW submarine data center was fully commissioned last month; and Nautilus Data Technologies operates a 6.5MW barge at the Port of Stockton, California. Samsung Heavy Industries also has a potential anchor tenant, having signed a letter of intent with OpenAI in October, while Samsung has committed to a monthly supply of 900,000 wafers for Stargate memory, covering joint development of floating data centers. However, no customer contracts have been signed for specific deployment projects to date.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
