A tech start-up is looking to harness ocean waves to power AI data centers at sea.

Based out of Washington, Panthalassa is developing a floating data center platform dubbed Ocean-3, an autonomous, self-propelled floating platform designed to generate clean wave energy to power a modular AI data center. The platform generates energy through harnessing the power of the ocean waves, with water forced through an internal turbine as the unit rises and falls.

According to the company, the platform has no anchors or cables connecting it to land or the seabed, acting as a self-contained unit. Instead of transmitting data back to land via a direct link, the company claims that it can beam back the compute results from the data center via a satellite. The company asserts that, if scaled, its platform could provide a clean and affordable alternative to land-based data centers, with power generation costs potentially as low as $0.02 per kWh.

"The ocean is really unlimited in terms of how much energy is available," Garth Sheldon-Coulson, CEO and co-founder of Panthalassa, told CBS, which first reported the story. "It will really be the cheapest energy on the planet."

The company has said that the platform could be deployed in multiples and act as a single data center, allowing for effective scaling.

"When you deploy many of our systems, they work together basically as a data center," Sheldon-Coulson said. "So, we think of it as a really good alternative to data centers on land."

The company has already secured backing from a range of AI companies, and includes SpaceX and Tesla alumni amongst its staff. The company has said it has all the private funding it requires for the project, raising around $78 million to date.

Despite promises, concerns remain chiefly regarding the impact of the ocean upon the platform, as it will need to survive hurricanes, salt spray, and constant motion over a considerable amount of time. Data capacity transfers over satellite may also prove a challenge, depending on the workloads deployed on the platform.

The company is not the only firm that has looked to develop data centers offshore. Most recently, floating wind firm Aikido announced its entrance into the data center space with the launch of a floating offshore wind platform integrated with a modular AI-focused data center.