Samsung Heavy Industries and ABS advance floating data centre designs

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) announced a design approval agreement for SHI's 50‑megawatt floating data centre, reviewing the design against class rules and IMO regulations. This follows an earlier Approval in Principle granted earlier in the year.

The companies also secured an Approval in Principle for a 200‑megawatt floating data centre concept, four times the capacity of the 50‑MW design, aimed at meeting the scale needs of hyperscale data‑centre operators as AI‑driven computing demand grows. SHI’s approach uses a standardized shipbuilding process to shorten construction timelines. Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, said interest in floating data centres is rising because land‑based development cannot keep pace. Kyung‑Hee Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Future Business Division at SHI, described the milestones as proof of the company's technological competitiveness in the emerging market.