Elon Musk wants to build a data center in space. China has already started operating an underwater data center in Shanghai. Samsung is now taking a middle path with the intention of building a floating data center (FDC) on the surface of the sea.
Samsung Heavy Industries has signed an agreement with Capital Clean Energy Carriers, a Greek firm, to realize this dream. FDC uses seawater for cooling while LNG fuel will generate the required power. It can operate in ports, coastal areas or rivers.
So far, Samsung has shown the concept design of a 50MW FDC and received preliminary approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd’s Register for insurance purposes. They are also working with Supermicro to test the operation of AI browsers in a marine environment
FDC solves the issue of lack of space control and excessive water use which are currently the main issues of opposition to its construction in several countries including Malaysia. But FDC also faces challenges in the marine environment posing risks such as vibration, saltwater erosion, humidity, and structural tilting while on the surface of the sea.
