As global demand for data storage and processing accelerates — driven by cloud computing, streaming media, and the explosive growth of artificial intelligence — the physical footprint of data centers has become a growing challenge. Land-based facilities face mounting constraints: limited space, water scarcity, grid congestion, long permitting timelines and rising community opposition. Against that backdrop, a once-niche concept is moving rapidly into the mainstream conversation: floating data centers.
For maritime designers, shipyards, and offshore infrastructure specialists, floating data centers represent a convergence of digital demand and marine engineering, one that could evolve into a significant new market segment over the coming decade.
Few firms have deeper firsthand experience in this emerging space than Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG). The Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm helped design and support construction of what is widely regarded as the world’s first operational floating data center, an installation in Stockton, California that has been operating successfully for several years…