NYK, partners to work on renewable energy-powered offshore floating data center

Japanese shipping player NYK and its partners have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop an offshore floating data center powered by 100% renewable energy.

The MoU, signed by NYK, NTT Facilities, Eurus Energy Holdings, MUFG Bank, and the City of Yokohama on March 27, entails a demonstration project of an offshore green data center utilizing a mini-float (floating berthing facility) installed as a disaster countermeasure.

The parties intend to test an offshore floating data center powered by renewable energy generated by solar power and battery energy storage systems on a mini-float (25 meters long and 80 meters wide) installed off Osanbashi Pier, Yokohama City.

Based on the results of this demonstration project, the partners will explore further developments in the waterfront and sea areas of Yokohama port.

As disclosed, the demonstration project will involve installing a container-type data center, solar power generation equipment, and battery energy storage systems on a mini-float. The aim is to operate the data center entirely on renewable energy while assessing the equipment’s salt damage resistance and operational stability in an offshore environment.

The demonstration is planned to commence in autumn 2025, marking “a significant step toward the practical application of a world-first offshore floating green data center”.

Once realized, offshore floating green data centers are expected to enable efficient utilization of offshore wind power. The project envisions situating these data centers near offshore wind farms to maximize the use of generated electricity without relying on or being limited by onshore power grids.

Additionally, this approach is expected to address various challenges associated with onshore data center construction, such as land availability, shortages of construction contractors, and extended construction lead times.

“We expect the offshore floating green data center, which operates on 100% renewable energy, will become one of the new standards for future data centers and greatly contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by operating entirely on renewable energy and emitting no greenhouse gases during operation. Through the demonstration, we will work to address various challenges to achieve this vision,” NYK said.