Using the ocean to power data centers

Panthalassa, a renewable energy company co-founded by CEO Garth Sheldon-Coulson and based in Vancouver, Washington, is proposing a novel solution to the energy demands and environmental impact of AI data centers. The company's "Ocean-2" and "Ocean-3" models are self-propelled, unanchored floating systems that generate electricity from wave motion. These sea-based units are designed to process AI computing tasks on-site using the generated power and transmit results via satellite, eliminating the need for cables back to shore. Sheldon-Coulson emphasizes that this approach offers "unlimited" and "the cheapest energy on the planet," providing a cleaner, fuel-free, and land-use-free alternative to traditional data centers. Panthalassa has secured private funding, and construction of the Ocean-3s is reportedly well underway, with operations expected to begin off-shore around August of this year. The company envisions deploying thousands of these systems globally as a scalable and sustainable method to meet the growing demand for AI computing.