Kalypso Offshore Energy, New York, N.Y., and Offshore Data Center plan to evaluate newbuild facilities and existing offshore platforms for data centers powered by stranded or underutilized natural gas.
The collaboration would pair offshore power generation and computing facilities with subsea cable connections to shore. The companies said the approach could create a market for offshore gas resources while supporting demand for artificial intelligence computing infrastructure.
Kalypso will lead subsea cable work, including route development, engineering, installation and connections for fiber-optic, power and umbilical cables. Its role will also include cable repair, operations and maintenance support.
“An offshore data center is only as good as the cables that connect it,” said Owen Rataj, director of Kalypso Offshore Energy. “Low-latency fiber to shore, reliable power connections and a repair and maintenance capability close to the assets are what turn an offshore platform into usable compute capacity. We are building exactly that capability in the U.S. and beyond, and this collaboration lets us apply it to a new class of offshore infrastructure.”
The companies will consider placing modular computing facilities on selected offshore structures slated for removal, as well as developing new facilities. Reusing suitable platforms could extend their operating lives and potentially defer some decommissioning expenditures, according to Offshore Data Center.
“A significant number of platforms in the Gulf of America are slated for decommissioning even though some may retain useful structural life,” said Art J. Schroeder Jr., founder and CEO of Offshore Data Center. “Working with operators, regulators and Kalypso, we plan to evaluate opportunities to place modular data centers on suitable existing assets, create new revenue from offshore resources and potentially defer certain Asset Retirement Obligation expenditures.”
For new construction, the collaboration draws on Offshore Data Center’s relationship with Horton do Brasil Tecnologia Offshore. The companies said Horton’s patented semisubmersible designs could reduce hull weight by up to 50% while improving stability, potentially making construction at U.S. Gulf Coast shipyards competitive with overseas yards.
Other Offshore Data Center partners would supply patented closed-loop cooling systems intended to reduce cooling requirements.
The announcement did not identify a project site, construction schedule, facility capacity or shipyard.
