Data Centres & Networks

Hitachi and MOL plan to convert old ships into floating data centres

Hitachi and MOL plan to convert old ships into floating data centres

Hitachi and its IT managed services arm Hitachi Systems have signed an MoU with Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to develop and operate “floating data centres” (FDCs) converted from second-hand ships.

Under the MoU signed on Monday, the three companies aim to explore ways to feasibly commercialise FDCs, as well as figure out the basic specifications and operational procedures involved, and potential market demand.

The project aims to address growing demand for hyperscale data centres to handle AI workloads, which in turn has faced a number of practical challenges, such as the costs and regulatory issues of land acquisition in the suburbs of major cities, and concerns over the environmental impact of data centres on power and water supplies, particularly in emerging markets such as Malaysia, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico, to name a few.

According to MOL, installing data centres on ships eliminates the land-acquisition problem, as FDCs could be docked in ports and rivers, which also means they can be sailed to different locations as needed.

This also addresses the water-cooling issue, as FDCs can efficiently utilize seawater or river water for cooling, which could reduce both power consumption for server cooling and overall operational costs.

FDCs would also cut down deployment times, as MOL estimates it would take a year to renovate a ship into an FDC, compared to up to three years for conventional land based data centre development.

It’s also cheaper, as FDCs not only save on construction costs, but can also reuse existing onboard systems such as air conditioning, water intake, and power generation.

MOL also said converting existing ships into FDCs has the extra benefit of recycling existing ship hulls that would otherwise be scrapped.

In terms of capacity, MOL noted that a car carrier has a floor area of approximately 54,000 square metres, which is more than enough to host a hyperscale data centre.

For the project, MOL will be responsible for planning and promoting vessel conversions, leading discussions with port authorities and other stakeholders, defining maritime operational requirements such as mooring and maintenance, and examining financing structures.

Hitachi and Hitachi Systems will leverage their experience in owning and operating land-based data centres in Japan, installing containerized data centres, and providing land-based data centre services in Malaysia and the US.

The companies hope to commercialise and commence operations of the first FDCs as early as 2027.

FDCs are the latest alternate proposal to land-based data centres, alongside building data centres underwater and in outer space.



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