Mocean Energy is raising £5 million to develop a floating data centre powered by wave and solar energy. The pilot is targeted for 2028, with full deployment expected in 2030.
The system, called Blue Core, houses racks of servers in a floating unit connected by satellite. The modular units can be joined together to form server farms, with North Sea water temperatures reducing the power needed to cool the processors.
Founded in 2015, Mocean operates in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Orkney and the United States. The company targets up to 6 gigawatts of capacity by 2040.
Mocean also developed Blue Star, an offshore power unit that combines renewable generation with battery support. First commercial sales are aimed for 2028, the same year the Blue Core pilot is expected to run.
Managing director Cameron McNatt said the technology has been proven in harsh sea conditions. He added that Blue Core addresses the growing power needs of AI data centres that exceed grid capacity.
McNatt emphasized that the company is not competing with conventional operators but aims to remove barriers of power, land and licensing that hold the industry back. He also noted that sites in national waters provide sovereign infrastructure rather than leasing cloud space in other countries.
The concept has been tested before. A subsea data centre deployed off Orkney in 2018 spent two years underwater, demonstrating viability.
The National Energy System Operator estimates 60 gigawatts of data centre capacity are waiting to join the high‑voltage transmission network, about 30 times current capacity. The operator manages the connections queue for projects seeking to join the transmission system.
With constraints around London and the southeast, the operator has encouraged technology companies to build in Scotland. More than 20 hyperscale data centre planning applications have followed.
Campaigns have opposed several Scottish proposals, citing concerns about local electricity and water usage, landscape changes and limited permanent jobs. Similar objections have arisen over other data centre projects elsewhere.
