Data centres are all the rage for the time being. But instead of asking if the world really needs another data centre, Samsung is asking where to put them. It’s got to be far enough away from people, or else you risk drawing their ire, but also close enough that it’s relatively accessible. Samsung’s got a rather novel idea: stick one in the ocean.
Samsung sticks its toes in the deep end
It makes more sense than plonking a data centre in space, anyway. According to TradeWinds (via Seoul Economic Daily), Samsung Heavy Industries already has a plan to get its floating data centre (FDC) up and running in the near future. “[Samsung is] pursuing multiple feasible projects in line with the goal of commercializing the FDC by the second quarter of 2028.” As for who those clients would be is still unknown.
The concept of a floating data centre is easy enough to grasp. It solves a couple of the big issues right off the bat. Having an FDC would at least help solve the cooling issues plaguing land-locked centres, and there’s more than enough room in the ocean. Until the strategy catches on, anyway. Then we’ll see how much room is left in a decade or so. But for now, it’s better than nothing. Scratch that. It’s better than putting them in space.
But it still leaves several questions. Like how the facility would fare in storms, or how Samsung would get the necessary energy to the data centre. It’s all a big risk, but one that Samsung is willing to take. The reward, should it work, is a boatload of money when it cashes out on the AI hype that’s currently gripped the world.
For Samsung, the decision is an easy one. Samsung is already in the business of building ships. “Floating datacentres represent a major new opportunity for the shipbuilding and offshore industries,” said Samsung Heavy Industries chief executive Sung-an Choi (via The Next Web).
