ABS and Samsung Heavy Industries have announced two milestones in floating data centre development, forming part of a series of agreements following the opening of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Center in Washington DC.
The first milestone is a design approval agreement under which ABS will review SHI’s 50 MW floating data centre design against applicable class rules and IMO regulations, building on an Approval in Principle granted earlier in 2026.
The second milestone is an AIP for SHI’s 200 MW floating data centre concept, representing a fourfold increase in capacity over the earlier design and targeting the scale requirements of hyperscale data centre operators as AI-driven demand for computing infrastructure continues to grow.
SHI’s designs leverage a standardised shipbuilding process with the potential to shorten construction timelines compared to conventional data centre development approaches.
The progression from the 50 MW AIP to a full design approval agreement, alongside the new 200 MW AIP, demonstrates the accelerating maturity of floating data centre technology as a commercially viable offshore infrastructure solution.
Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, described growing interest in floating data centres as a response to land-based development constraints, acknowledging the engineering complexity involved while highlighting the opportunity this presents for the maritime sector.
Kyung-Hee Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Future Business Division at SHI, characterised the dual milestones as a demonstration of the company’s differentiated technological competitiveness in the emerging floating data centre market.
