A consortium of Japanese companies and financial institutions is planning to develop an offshore floating data center demonstration project off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.

The consortium includes shipping company NYK Line, architecture firm NTT Facilities, renewable developer Eurus Energy Holdings, MUFG Bank, and the city of Yokohama.

According to reports, the project will use a 25-meter by 80-meter mini-float moored at Yokohama Port’s Osanbashi Pier.

According to the partners, a containerized data center will be installed on the float alongside solar and battery storage facilities, which will power the data center. The partners are also considering the use of offshore wind power.

The demonstration project aims to test the viability of an offshore data center powered fully by renewable energy.

The project is expected to commence construction in the fall of 2025. Depending on the results of the project, the partners will consider further expansion at Yokohama Port’s waterfront and marine areas.

NTT Facilities will design the data center, Eurus will conduct technical verification, MUFG will provide financial support, and Nippon Yusen will oversee the entire project.

The capacity of the data center was not disclosed.

Several data center firms have explored floating data centers. In October, French startup Denv-R launched a floating data center in Nantes. The data center is powered by solar panels that cover its body.

The floating data center concept was pioneered by US developer Nautilus, which has two floating data centers in Stockton, California, and Limerick, Ireland.

Last November, Nautilus put its Stockton data center up for sale for a listed price of $45 million. It features around 6.5MW of critical IT load, covering 20,000 square feet (1,858 sqm) across four data halls.

Keppel is also planning a floating data center campus in Singapore.