Kinetics and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Launch Innovative Floating Data Center Platform
In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on July 7, 2025, Kinetics (the energy-transition arm of Karpowership) and Japanese maritime transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) agreed to jointly develop and deploy what they describe as the world’s first integrated floating data center platform.
Unlike previous efforts, like the Nautilus Data Technology barge mounted data center we reported on back in 2021, this design includes both a vessel that contains the data center and, in the initial plan, a vessel that has a dedicated power source, a technology that Karpowership has been deploying since 2010.
A Bigger Boat
The goal of the project is to retrofit an existing vessel (MOL is one of the largest shipping companies in the world, operating over 900 vessels) into a floating data center roughly 120 meters long (9,731 gross tons), with the current plan projecting an IT load range of 20 MW to 73 MW, with modular architecture in the data center design.
The project timeline envisions commercial operations beginning in 2027, with a finalized design and MOUs with data center operators and potential port locations completed this year.
According to Mehmet Katmer, Chief Executive Officer of Kinetics:
This project represents a significant step toward our vision at Kinetics: delivering innovative, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure solutions that meet the energy needs of today and tomorrow. By pairing mobile power generation with floating data infrastructure, we are addressing critical market bottlenecks while enabling faster, cleaner and more flexible digital capacity expansion.
Adaptive Reuse Buoys Development
By converting a used vessel there is a reduced environmental impact when compared to the impact of extracting and refining the raw materials required to build a new ship.
And, as MOL has a reputation for maintaining and keeping their fleet current, the ability to reuse existing ship systems including air conditioning, water intake, and generators means a reduction in the cost of the initial investment.
The Powerships remain seaworthy and can be moved to new locations on demand. According to the project's announcement, the can even potentially be operated as data centers while navigating on the ocean like conventional vessels.
A Dynamic Duo
The combination of the floating data center and a Powership means that the data center can be operated independently of local power supplies, and does not require the extended permitting and approval process for power that is currently slowing down or delaying many data center projects.
The conversion process of an existing ship to a data center ship is expected to take approximately one year, a significantly shorter time frame that traditional, land-based, data center construction.
And while the data centers will in most cases be deployed in port areas, they have no requirement for large amounts of land, minimizing land acquisition costs in data center projects.
Significant Behind-the-Meter Power
While the potential for a relatively standard grid connection is being considered, the primary power source is expected to be a Karadeniz Powership.
Powerships are floating power plants; fully self-contained electricity generation units housed within converted or purpose-built ships. They are currently deployed worldwide under the Karpowership brand.
As of 2025, there are more than 35 ships in their fleet, generating power using heavy fuel oil and liquid natural gas. Some of the ships offer dual fuel systems.
Each of the current ships in the fleet is generating from 30 MW to 470 MW of power. The total fleet capacity is currently over 10 GW. Power generation is done with medium speed diesel engines or gas turbines for ships using liquid natural gas.
Fueling the Journey
Generally, fuel selection is based on the target market for the ship, with the multifuel designs able to quickly adapt to the fuel type which is least expensive at the deployment site. Curent plans also include support for ammonia-based power generation.
Significant fuel storage is onboard, along with exhaust and emissions treatment hardware, and existing ships are using both air and seawater-based cooling systems.
Meanwhile, currently ships are equipped with the necessary integrated switchgear, transformers, and SCADA systems for grid compliance as their primary use has been supplemental and emergency power delivery to existing grids.
Managing Executive Officer of MOL, Tomoaki Ichida, said:
This MOU represents an important step forward in leveraging the MOL Group's assets and extensive expertise in ship operations to rapidly build digital infrastructure while minimizing environmental impact. Moving forward, we will continue to expand a diverse range of social infrastructure businesses centered on the shipping industry. Through the advancement of our technologies and services, we are committed to proactively responding to society's evolving needs, including the imperative of environmental conservation.
This would be a significant expansion of MOL’s capabilities as well as a lever to opening up new markets.
The company currently operates more than 70 container ships, 200 bulk carriers, and more than 80 car carriers. According to MOL, a car carrier has an available floor area of approximately 54,000 square meters, a space equivalent to Japan’s largest data centers.
About the Author
David Chernicoff
Voices of the Industry
