Floating wind turbines to host data centres
A prototype in the North Sea will place underwater server halls inside floating turbine platforms powered by offshore wind.
Image for illustrative purposes
Norway: A new concept from offshore wind developer Aikido Technologies proposes placing data centres inside floating wind turbine platforms. The idea is designed to address growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure while using renewable power generated at sea.
The San Francisco-based company plans to install data centres inside underwater ballast tanks that help stabilise floating wind turbine platforms. The turbines would supply electricity for the servers, while onboard batteries and grid connections would provide backup power.
Aikido’s first prototype, a 100 kW unit, is scheduled to be deployed in the North Sea off the coast of Norway by the end of the year. The company is also considering a larger 15–18 MW project off the coast of the United Kingdom that could follow in 2028.
The floating platform design uses a semisubmersible structure. A central turbine sits on a large platform supported by three outward-extending legs. At the end of each leg is a ballast structure that reaches about 20 m into the water. The upper part of these ballast tanks would house data halls with computing capacity of around 3–4 MW each, providing a combined computing output of roughly 10–12 MW.
Fresh water stored in the ballast tanks would also be used to cool the servers through a liquid cooling system. Heat from the data centres would transfer through the tank walls and dissipate into the surrounding ocean water.
The concept aims to combine renewable energy generation, cooling efficiency and offshore infrastructure to support the rapid expansion of AI computing.
Source: AOL
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