Data centre developers are battling communities concerned about power shortages, pressure on water supplies and environmental issues. And that’s before considering the significant land constraints in many regions.

Given this background, floating data centres (FDCs) are having their moment. This year, Lloyd’s Register, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp signed an MoU to collaborate on an FDC design concept, noting: “By combining marine engineering with advanced data centre technology, it offers an alternative to land-based facilities, where limits on space, power and cooling are becoming more pressing.”

In Singapore, Keppel is working on a four-storey, 25MW modular FDC, designed with seawater cooling. In Yokohama, a Japanese consortium is testing a renewables-powered containerised data centre.

Although Nautilus Data Technologies opened an FDC on a barge in Stockton, California in 2021, the FDC concept remains in its infancy. However, Catalina Spataru, professor of global energy and resources at UCL, expects FDCs growth trajectory to resemble floating renewables over the next 10 years.

FDCs may resolve some land-based issues, but questions remain: where does the power come from? what about the network cables? who will be needed onboard?

Spataru, who analysed the latest floating energy technologies in her book, ‘Floating Energy Systems: Shifting Tides in the Blue-Green Economy’, suggests a few options.

A purpose-built vessel moored in port could use river or harbour water for cooling and access a substation and fuel storage onshore. It might require 5-30MW and could draw this from shore. A little further out, a near-shore modular platform would require 20-100MW, using shoreside infrastructure connected by short cables.

“This could work well in being modular – if there are any issues with parts, it’s easier to restore,” she says. “It could also be more resilient to climate change with a mix of shore power and renewable energy.”

Further out still could be a semi-submersible or stabilised platform in open water, which would have huge power demands: research is ongoing into the possibility of such a structure being powered 100% by renewables.

These would be modular, self-sufficient platforms, powered by dedicated renewables and linked via satellite to data networks: “We’re not there yet”, says Spataru, but research continues.

According to the International Energy Agency, global electricity demand from data centres grew by 17% last year and is projected to roughly double from 485TWh in 2025 to 950TWh in 2030 – around 3% of global electricity demand and reflecting the surge of power-hungry AI technologies.

“FDCs are definitely attractive in this context because they can be located near coastal grid infrastructure, cable routes and – in time – offshore or other low-carbon energy sources,” says Spataru. 

Last year, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) signed an MoU with UK-based floating energy specialist Kinetics to collaborate on the design, construction and deployment of a data centre hosted on a vessel; this year it has launched an initiative with Hitachi to convert existing vessels for FDCs.

The first of several potential projects is likely to be within a port, where power and network cables will be connected to the shore, says Shinichi Ogawa, MOL’s climate tech investor and FDC lead.

When it comes to power supply options, he says: “If grid power is available and a connection can be established, our preferred approach would be to connect the FDC directly to the grid. However, in many locations, grid access is either unavailable or subject to long delays. Even where connection is technically possible, it can sometimes take five to 10 years before power becomes available due to a combination of factors, including insufficient generation capacity, delays in the procurement of electrical equipment, and regulatory approval processes.”

In such cases, MOL would consider utilising power ships through its partnership with Kinetics. “Dedicated onboard power generation could provide a practical solution to accelerate deployment while ensuring a reliable and stable power supply for data centre operations,” says Ogawa.

The staffing model would depend on the type of platform. “If the facility is operated as a vessel and retains its ship classification, operations would be similar to those of a conventional vessel.

If the propulsion systems are decommissioned or if the data centre is deployed on a barge, onboard seafarers may no longer be required. In such configurations, the facility could be monitored and managed remotely from a shoreside operations centre, with personnel dispatched only when maintenance or inspections are required.”

Advances in automation and remote monitoring technologies are expected to reduce onboard staffing requirements even further, he adds, “while maintaining safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance”.