Naver Invests in Startup Building Wave-Powered AI Data Centers

What happened

Naver has invested in Panthalassa, a U.S. startup developing offshore AI data centers powered by wave energy. The investment was made through U.S. venture capital firm 8090 Industries; the amount was not disclosed. Panthalassa's floating 'Node' platform generates electricity from waves, cools servers with seawater, and transmits data via low-Earth-orbit satellites. Having demonstrated Ocean-1 and Ocean-2, the company plans to deploy Ocean-3 this year and targets commercialization in 2027.

Why it matters

As AI data centers face surging electricity demand and land constraints, wave-powered offshore data centers could offer a renewable, cost-efficient alternative—they need no separate power plant or fuel and use seawater for cooling. LEO satellite links also reduce geographic limits for AI inference. This investment reflects Naver's push to secure differentiated AI infrastructure and strengthen its competitiveness in the global AI infrastructure market.