Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kinetics, an energy transition initiative by Karadeniz subsidiary Karpowership, to develop a next-generation floating data centre platform.
The two companies will design, construct, and deploy a data centre hosted on a retrofitted vessel. The facility will be supplied with uninterrupted, dedicated power from several sources, including powerships developed by the Turkish company.
The floating data centre will have options to integrate land-based grids, onshore solar farms, offshore wind, or other power generation solutions, depending on the project location and client requirements.
According to the two companies, the floating platform will offer a scalable, mobile, and rapidly deployable alternative to traditional land-based data centres, overcoming the challenges of power constraints, land scarcity, and permitting delays.
“By pairing mobile power generation with floating data infrastructure, we are addressing critical market bottlenecks while enabling faster, cleaner and more flexible digital capacity expansion,” said Mehmet Katmer, CEO of Kinetics.
Following successful feasibility studies and ongoing technical developments, the first floating data centre project is targeted for deployment in 2027.
The data centre capacity will be between 20 and 73MW, depending on module configuration, with direct water cooling using seawater or river water.
The powership provided by Karadeniz can use multiple fuels, including LNG, with grid connection also being considered. The connection to the internet will be made either on land or via submarine cables.
