Explaining a floating AI datacenterfrom @kanekallaway

Transcript

This company built a data center floating in the Pacific Ocean. They're called Panthalassa, and they might be pioneering a whole new category of data center technology. See, a data center is really just thousands of computer chips that only need two things, electricity to think and water to cool. On land, they compete with actual towns for both of those resources, which is why these projects keep getting blocked. But the ocean has no towns, no permits, and no grids to constrain. Of course, there is just one problem with an ocean based data center. There are no plugs to plug in for electricity. So this floating data center was designed to make its own power. Here's how it works. Picture a giant floating lollipop in the sea with a round buoy on top and a long tube underneath. Waves only move at the top of the surface. So underneath, it's actually very calm. And that means the buoy rides up and down while the tube stays still. Better wave that passes by squeezes seawater through its turbine. Think of it like a bike pump, except the ocean waves is what's pushing the handle up and down. That same seawater is also great for cooling the chips in the data better, so it accomplishes both tasks required. Now you rank calm weather and no waves in the ocean would prevent this from running, but it actually works a lot more like a battery. The sun heats the air, the air makes wind, and the wind pushes the waves. And those waves keep rolling long after the breeze stops. So it's solar power that also works at night. Better there's just one more problem. How do they get all that power back to the land to use? And it turns out, they don't. These things have no anchor, no fuel, and no cable to shore. Instead, your AI query hits them, worst straight up to a satellite, data center. The real problem making this tough is that tier ocean typically destroys everything. The salt eats better, the barnacles good on everything, and storms do what storms do. And that's really the bet that Panthelas is making, that they can figure out how to make this in a way the ocean can't destroy it. The first full destroy it. The first full size versions of this go live in the ocean later this year. If they survive, your AI queries might start being powered by a floating data center in the ocean. All for more stories like this about tech, AI, and robotics.