HD Hyundai, Schneider Electric to build data centers at sea

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and Schneider Electric are teaming up to develop floating data centers (FDCs), a new class of AI infrastructure built on waters. 

The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding at HD Hyundai's Global Research and Development Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, with HD KSOE co-CEO Kim Hyung-kwan and Schneider Electric Korea CEO Kwon Ji-woong in attendance.

FDCs are gaining traction as a next-generation alternative to land-based facilities, addressing two of the data center industry's most persistent constraints: land scarcity and the high cost of server cooling.

Under the deal, the companies will work on adapting data center power and cooling systems for offshore use, while sharing research and technical findings on an ongoing basis.

"HD KSOE has been accelerating the development of offshore data center technology, drawing on decades of experience designing and constructing floating structures," said Kim Hyung-kwan, co-CEO of HD KSOE. "Through this partnership, we will advance the core technologies needed to reliably operate large-scale, high-density computing infrastructure at sea."

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]