Japanese maritime firm joins forces with Turkish entity to construct a 73 megawatt floating data center. The data ship is slated for deployment by the year 2027.
In a bid to address power challenges and minimize environmental impact, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Kinetics have joined forces to develop innovative floating data centers. The partnership aims to revolutionize the data center industry by offering a scalable, mobile, and eco-friendly solution.
## Addressing Power Challenges
The key to the success of these floating data centers lies in their flexibility. Powered by a variety of energy sources such as land-based grids, onshore solar farms, offshore wind, or other power generation solutions, these centers can mitigate power constraints and ensure a reliable energy supply [1].
Kinetics' parent company, Karpowership, can also provide Powerships – floating power plants that operate on multiple fuels like Liquified Natural Gas. This capability allows for independent operation without relying entirely on local power infrastructure [2].
Another advantage of these floating data centers is their rapid deployment. Unlike traditional land-based data centers, which can take years to become operational, floating data centers can be ready in just one year [3].
## Reducing Environmental Impact
The environmental benefits of these floating data centers are numerous. By repurposing existing vessels, the environmental impact of raw material extraction and processing is reduced [1].
The use of direct water cooling from seawater or rivers significantly lowers energy consumption compared to traditional air-cooled systems, reducing the carbon footprint of the data center [1][3].
Moreover, floating data centers require less land, thus avoiding the environmental and social impacts associated with land acquisition and development in metropolitan areas [2].
The ability to relocate these data centers without needing to construct new infrastructure further reduces the overall environmental impact of expansion or relocation [3].
## The Future of Floating Data Centers
MOL's floating data center, expected to begin commercial operation in 2027, may be much faster and potentially at a lower cost than land-based alternatives. The pilot project is aimed at minimizing environmental impact [4].
The data center will be built on a 120-meter-long ship with a gross tonnage of 9,731 tons, and it will have a power capacity of 20 to 73 megawatts [5]. MOL plans to complete the design of the floating data center and sign MoUs with the data center operator and port authorities this year [6].
While the profitability of MOL's floating data center operation in the long term is yet to be seen, the potential for a sustainable, scalable, and mobile solution is undeniable.
Meanwhile, other tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, Oracle are grappling with power issues in their data center projects. Some are even investing in small modular reactors for clean energy, but the earliest commercial deployment is not expected until the 2030s [7].
In contrast, Elon Musk, facing allegations of polluting the air in the neighborhood of his Memphis Supercluster, has announced plans to ship a complete power plant into the U.S. to deliver 2 gigawatts of power to Colossus [8].
Sources: [1] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/content-free-cooling-systems-help-reduce-carbon-footprint-of-data-centers/ [2] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-strategy/floating-data-centers-could-be-a-solution-to-power-challenges/ [3] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-strategy/is-the-ocean-the-future-of-data-centers/ [4] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-facilities/mol-plans-to-build-floating-data-center-in-2026/ [5] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-facilities/mol-and-kinetics-to-build-floating-data-center/ [6] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-facilities/mol-kinetics-to-build-floating-data-center-in-2026/ [7] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-strategy/google-microsoft-amazon-and-more-are-investing-in-small-modular-reactors-for-clean-energy/ [8] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/data-center-facilities/elon-musks-tesla-giga-factory-in-texas-faces-pollution-allegations/
The partnership between MOL and Kinetics in the development of floating data centers will challenge the traditional data-and-cloud-computing industry by offering a mobile and eco-friendly solution. To ensure a reliable energy supply, these centers can utilize various energy sources such as land-based grids, onshore solar farms, offshore wind, or other power generation solutions, including Kinetics' parent company, Karpowership's Powerships operating on multiple fuels.
In the future, technology giants in the finance and energy sectors may look toData center solutions like floating data centers to minimize environmental impact and address power challenges, potentially including small modular reactors for clean energy. However, commercial deployment for some of these technologies, such as Musk's planned power plant shipment, is not expected until the 2030s.
