Naver invests in Oregon startup creating wave-powered floating data centers

The move comes as the Korean portal powerhouse looks to expand its AI infrastructure through global partnerships.

Naver headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Nov. 5,2025

Naver said Thursday it has made an investment in a U.S. startup developing wave-powered floating data centers, without disclosing the financial details.

The portal giant's latest push into the Oregon-based Panthalassa comes amid Naver's effort to expand AI infrastructure through global partnerships, the company said.

Founded in 2016, Panthalassa is a startup that develops autonomous, floating data centers powered by waves and designed to run AI workloads at sea without land.

Computing results are beamed back to land via low-earth-orbit satellite connections, such as those from SpaceX's Starlink. The venture firm is planning to deploy its latest wave-powered platform for demonstration purposes within this year, with the goal of commercializing it by 2027.


Yonhap