Samsung advances floating data center designs into the engineering phase to address rising AI infrastructure heat dissipation needs.
Samsung's floating data centers mark a potential shift toward maritime solutions to meet the rising demands of AI infrastructure. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has signed an engineering agreement with Mousterian Corporation, a Texas-based infrastructure developer, advancing SHI's plan to deliver factory-built floating data centers for AI workloads.
In a news release today (August 3), SHI said the strategic cooperation will see the companies jointly complete the basic and production engineering work for purpose-built, moored floating data center units. Each unit will provide 50 MW of critical IT capacity, with initial deployments planned in Texas and other US markets, according to SHI.
The deal is the latest sign that floating data centers are moving from concept to execution as developers confront land, power, and cooling constraints around hyperscale AI infrastructure. Supporters say floating facilities can be deployed alongside existing power generation, leverage surrounding water for heat rejection, and use non-evaporative cooling that requires no potable water. SHI says the design supports liquid-cooled AI systems and is intended to operate at lower noise levels than conventional facilities.
SHI unveiled the concept at the Posidonia 2026 exhibition in June, positioning floating data centers as an alternative where sites, power, and water are constrained. The pilot aims to demonstrate that shipyard fabrication can proceed in parallel with site preparation, potentially accelerating deployment of AI-scale builds.
"Signing this engineering contract transitions our partnership from intent to execution and gives us a clear path to scaling factory-built critical IT capacity for AI-class facilities," said Min Suh, CEO of Mousterian. Suh noted that building to shipyard standards allows fabrication to proceed in parallel with site work while enabling deployment alongside existing baseload power that may be inaccessible to conventional land-based developments.
Samsung Heavy Industries Vice Chairman and CEO Sung-an Choi said floating data centers build on the company's decades of offshore engineering and shipbuilding experience. Other partners in the initiative include Capital Clean Energy Carriers, based in Greece, and Lloyd's Register. According to the Seoul Economic Daily, SHI aims to commercialize the platform by the second quarter of 2028.
Samsung joins a growing list of companies exploring floating data centers as demand for AI infrastructure intensifies. Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) partnered with renewable energy company Kinetics in 2025 to develop what the companies described as the world's first integrated floating data center platform. In April 2026, MOL also announced a separate partnership with Hitachi to develop floating data centers using converted vessels, targeting commercial deployment starting in 2027.
In China, authorities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area recently announced the completion of what it described as the world's first wind-powered underwater data center, a 24 MW facility backed by an investment of 1.6 billion yuan (approximately $226 million).
Whether floating data centers prove commercially viable at scale remains to be seen. Still, the growing number of engineering partnerships suggests developers are increasingly treating the approach as a potential solution to the power and siting constraints facing AI infrastructure.