Bureau Veritas grants Approval in Principle to Seatrium's 30 MW Floating Data Center concept

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Seatrium Technology & Innovation Pte Ltd, a technology subsidiary of global offshore, marine and energy engineering solutions specialist Seatrium Limited (Seatrium), for its 30 MW Floating Data Center (FDC) concept, supporting the advancement of floating data center solutions. The AiP builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by BV and Seatrium during Singapore Maritime Week earlier this year to advance offshore power and digital technologies.

Seatrium's concept comprises a 30 MW Floating Data Center deployed on a jetty-moored, non-propelled barge incorporating six independent 5 MW "Data-in-a-Box" modules. Each module integrates IT equipment, cooling systems, power distribution and supporting infrastructure within a compact, modular design, enabling flexible deployment and continuous operation. As demand for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and edge computing continues to grow, floating data centers are attracting increasing interest as an alternative approach to expanding computing capacity in land and power-constrained coastal markets.

Leveraging Seatrium's deep expertise in offshore engineering and marine energy systems integration, the concept combines modular construction, natural seawater cooling and flexible offshore siting to deliver a scalable and energy-efficient solution for next-generation digital infrastructure.

Building on the 30 MW reference design, Seatrium is also advancing the development of a 100 MW Floating Data Centre concept, demonstrating a clear pathway to hyperscale deployment while retaining the benefits of modular construction, seawater cooling and flexible offshore siting. This positions floating data centres as a transformative solution for the next wave of digital growth.

Bureau Veritas independently assessed the concept's technical feasibility, reviewing its fundamental design against applicable BV Rules, international standards and relevant regulatory requirements. The assessment covered the general arrangement, cooling process flow, preliminary stability, marine systems and key safety considerations, providing an independent technical assessment to support the concept's progression towards the next stages of design and development.

As digital technologies increasingly extend into offshore applications, classification societies have an important role in enabling innovation through independent technical review. By engaging from the concept stage, BV helps developers identify technical risks early, establish a clear pathway towards compliance and build confidence as new technologies progress towards implementation.

Aziz Merchant, Executive Vice President, Technology & New Product Development at Seatrium, said: “Floating data centers are a natural extension of Seatrium’s decades of expertise in delivering complex offshore and marine assets. As demand for digital infrastructure continues to accelerate, floating data centers offer a scalable, resilient and sustainable solution to address growing land, energy and cooling constraints. By leveraging decades of experience in offshore engineering, energy systems integration and project execution, Seatrium is advancing next-generation infrastructure that supports the digital economy. Bureau Veritas’ Approval in Principle provides an important validation of the concept and strengthens our confidence in progressing the development of this innovative, next-generation, offshore platform.”