Samsung Heavy seeks lead in floating data centers

Samsung Heavy Industries is deepening its global partnerships as it seeks to secure an early advantage in the emerging market for floating data centers (FDCs), offshore facilities designed to host data-processing infrastructure at sea.

The company said Monday that it is participating in Posidonia 2026, the world's largest shipping exhibition, being held in Athens from June 1 to 5. On Tuesday, Samsung Heavy signed a three-party agreement with Greek shipowner Capital and U.K.-based classification society Lloyd's Register (LR) to cooperate on floating data center projects. The company also held talks with major international shipping companies on potential collaboration in the FDC sector.

Samsung Heavy separately signed a memorandum of understanding with Lloyd's Register Advisory, LR's consulting arm, to jointly assess the business case for floating data centers. The partners plan to analyze North American data center infrastructure and evaluate market potential while exploring broader areas of cooperation. In a separate development, Samsung Heavy agreed to pursue joint development efforts with U.S. AI server maker Supermicro at Innovate APAC 2026, an information and communications technology exhibition held Monday in Taipei.

Floating data centers must operate in demanding offshore conditions, where vibration, vessel motion, salt-laden air and fluctuating humidity can affect the performance and longevity of servers. To address those challenges, Samsung Heavy plans to develop technologies for offshore positioning control and protection against salt and moisture. Supermicro, meanwhile, will test and validate server operating conditions in maritime environments.

"The data center market is expected to attract investments of as much as $3 trillion by 2030," Samsung Heavy said. "Floating data centers represent a significant opportunity, and we intend to establish a distinctive position in the market through global cooperation."


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com