Samsung has unveiled a project for floating data centers for AI

Samsung Heavy Industries has signed an agreement with Capital Clean Energy Carriers and Lloyd's Register to commercialize floating data centers with a capacity of 50 MW. The project was presented at the Posidonia exhibition in Greece and aims to create new infrastructure for hosting AI computing.

Simultaneously, Samsung has entered into an agreement with Supermicro, which will test whether artificial intelligence servers can operate reliably in marine conditions. The companies will test the impact of vibration, humidity, salt air, and ship motion on the equipment.

Floating data centers will use seawater to cool servers. When docked in ports, they will be able to connect to the shore power grid, and during autonomous operation, they will receive power from solid oxide fuel cells running on liquefied natural gas. This approach will help reduce dependence on terrestrial energy infrastructure and accelerate the deployment of new computing capacity.

Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung Heavy Industries will be responsible for the design and construction of the platforms, Capital Clean Energy Carriers for financing and site selection, and Lloyd's Register for certification and compliance with international standards.

Previously, the project already received preliminary approval from the American Bureau of Shipping and Lloyd's Register. Samsung plans to leverage its experience in building floating LNG complexes to develop this new digital infrastructure.

Floating data centers are becoming a new direction for the industry. Similar projects are already being implemented in Japan, China, and the US, where companies are also considering placing computing facilities on water as an alternative to traditional land-based facilities.

Source: tomshardware.com