Floating data centers cruise a bit closer after a major show of support from Japanese giant Hitachi
Japan’s concept of floating data centers has moved closer to reality as Hitachi and its subsidiary Hitachi Systems signed an agreement with shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines to convert a second‑hand vessel into a full‑scale offshore data center by 2027. The project aims to address Japan’s land shortages and rising AI‑driven compute demand by using ships as large, rapidly deployable data facilities cooled by seawater. The partners are now exploring repurposing a car carrier, which offers vast internal space—up to 54,000 square meters, comparable to major land‑based data centers. While seawater cooling offers efficiency benefits, the approach introduces new engineering challenges that Japan hopes to solve as it pushes toward offshore computing.