Samsung Heavy Industries Moves to Secure Lead in Global Floating Data Center Market

Tripartite Business Cooperation Agreement Signed with Greece, UK, and Others

Samsung Heavy Industries is expanding global cooperation to secure an early lead in the Floating Data Center (FDC) market, which is gaining attention due to rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI). The company plans to accelerate its entry into the FDC market by establishing a collaborative system that encompasses all aspects of the business, including project discovery, investment, market validation, and core technology development.

On June 2 (local time), Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it had signed a three-party business cooperation agreement for FDCs with Greek shipowner Capital and UK-based Lloyd’s Register (LR) at Posidonia 2026, the world’s largest maritime exhibition held in Athens, Greece.

Perspective view of the Floating Data Center (FDC) developed by Samsung Heavy Industries. Samsung Heavy Industries

Under the agreement, Samsung Heavy Industries will be responsible for FDC technology and construction, while Capital will take charge of project discovery and investment. Lloyd’s Register will cooperate in areas related to FDC regulations and certification.

The FDC is a floating model where data centers are installed not on land, but on rivers or at sea. With the commercialization of AI technology, demand for data centers has surged, bringing challenges such as securing power, land, and server cooling. The FDC is being discussed as an alternative that can address these issues.

Samsung Heavy Industries has also signed a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lloyd’s Advisory, a consulting subsidiary under Lloyd’s Register. The two companies plan to cooperate in verifying economic feasibility—including analysis of data center infrastructure and market evaluation for North America—as well as to establish a foundation for entering the global FDC market.

Samsung Heavy Industries is also pursuing cooperation to secure AI server operation technology. On June 1, at the “Innovate APAC 2026” ICT exhibition held in Taipei, Taiwan, the company signed a joint development partnership (JDP) agreement with Supermicro, a leading U.S. AI server company.

In a maritime environment, factors such as vibration, tilt, a salt-laden atmosphere, and rapid humidity changes can affect the lifespan and stability of precision AI servers. Samsung Heavy Industries will develop technologies for maritime position control and for blocking salt and humidity, while Supermicro will verify the operational conditions that enable stable operation of AI servers in river or marine environments.

Choi Sung An, CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, stated, “Floating data centers represent a market of opportunity for the shipbuilding and shipping industries. Through global cooperation, we will proactively enter the FDC market and establish a unique, dominant position.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.