Samsung Heavy Industries Launches Offshore Data Centers to Target Global Market

On April 24, Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it had established a foundation for entering the global market for Floating Data Centers (FDC) by participating in "Data Center World (DCW 2026)" held in Washington D.C., United States.

Youngkyu Ahn, Head of Technology Development Division at Samsung Heavy Industries (left), and Gareth Burton, Vice President of Global Engineering at ABS. Samsung Heavy Industries

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Samsung Heavy Industries showcased its self-developed FDC at the event, which ran from April 20 to 23. DCW is a leading North American event that discusses technologies and investment strategies in response to growing data center demand.

The FDC is a data center installed at sea rather than on land, and it is gaining attention as an alternative to address challenges such as site acquisition, power supply, and cooling efficiency.

During the event, Samsung Heavy Industries obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) for the conceptual design of a 50MW-class FDC from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd's Register (LR). This model is manufactured based on standardized shipyard construction processes, allowing for shorter delivery times compared to traditional land-based data centers, and it is equipped with its own power generation system to reduce dependence on external power sources.

Additionally, Samsung Heavy Industries entered into a technology cooperation agreement with ABB for the development of FDC power systems and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mousterian for the development of FDCs in the United States.

With this certification, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to expand partnerships for power system development and securing local permits, while also pursuing the commercialization of FDCs.

Choi Wonyoung, Chairman of the Workers' Council, attended the event, demonstrating joint participation by labor and management. Chairman Choi stated, "The council will also actively participate in the growth of new businesses."

Ahn Younggyu, Head of Technology Development at Samsung Heavy Industries, said, "The FDC is a business model that extends shipbuilding technology into digital infrastructure," adding, "We will secure new growth engines in the global data market."

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