ABB and Hanwha Ocean Sign MoU to Develop Power and Control Systems for Floating Data Centers

South Korean shipbuilding company Hanwha Ocean has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Swiss engineering group ABB to jointly develop advanced power and control systems for floating data centers, as the industry increasingly looks to offshore infrastructure to meet growing compute demand.

The agreement combines Hanwha Ocean's expertise in offshore design and construction with ABB's capabilities in data center power solutions. Earlier this year, Hanwha showcased a self-developed 60MW-class floating data center concept that envisions deploying data center capacity on a floating structure capable of generating power offshore and using seawater for cooling.

Under the terms of the MoU, the two companies will collaborate through May next year on power system design reviews and the development of operating and control technologies, with a focus on ensuring stable power supply and efficient operation of floating data centers. Hanwha Ocean will lead the basic design and power system configuration, setting design standards for power generation equipment expected to be based on liquefied natural gas engines. ABB will analyze the reliability and power quality of the electrical system based on Hanwha's design and conduct a range of technical reviews aimed at improving operating efficiency.

"As the AI industry grows, technologies that support stable power supply and efficient operation of data centers are becoming more important," said Heo Yoon, executive vice president and head of Hanwha Ocean's Product Strategy and Technology Institute. "Through this partnership with ABB, we will raise the technical maturity of floating data center solutions suited to marine environments and broaden the foundation for growth in our future offshore business."

The partnership reflects a broader surge of interest in offshore and floating data center concepts in recent years. Keppel has begun work on a 25MW floating facility in Singapore slated to come online in 2028, while US-based Panthalassa is developing wave-powered floating data centers at sea. Floating wind firm Aikido has also entered the data center space with a floating offshore wind platform integrated with a modular AI-focused data center, and other companies including Seatrium, Mocean, and Atomarine are pursuing similar projects. As AI workloads drive demand for power-intensive computing infrastructure, offshore floating data centers are emerging as a potential solution to land and power constraints, though significant technical and regulatory challenges remain before the concept reaches commercial scale.