[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Naver (NAVER(035420)) has invested in Panthalassa, a U.S. startup developing an offshore AI data center powered by wave energy. As securing power for data centers has emerged as a key challenge amid the proliferation of AI, Naver appears to be expanding its investment scope to include next-generation data center technologies based on renewable energy.

Naver announced on the 13th that it has invested in Panthalassa, a startup developing offshore AI data centers. The investment amount was not disclosed.

Founded in Oregon, U.S., in 2016, Panthalassa is developing a floating AI data center that utilizes wave power. The model generates electricity by harnessing ocean waves without the need for a separate power plant or fuel, and performs AI computations and processing at sea.

Panthalassa has integrated all functions necessary for building and operating a data center—including power generation, AI computation and processing, and cooling—into a single “Node” platform floating at sea.

As a floating data center, it reduces the burden of securing land, unlike land-based data centers. It is designed to use seawater for server cooling, thereby replacing the cooling equipment that accounts for a significant portion of power consumption in land-based data centers.

It also reduces the burden on power transmission infrastructure. Instead of transmitting the electricity it generates to external sources, Panthalassa’s node performs AI workloads directly at sea. The results of these computations are transmitted to land via low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication networks such as Starlink.

Naver explained that low-Earth orbit satellite networks have low latency, making them suitable for AI inference tasks where fast response times are critical, and that they enable global communication without the need for undersea cables, thereby reducing geographical constraints.

Panthalassa has been conducting offshore demonstrations using wave power generation platforms such as “Ocean-1” and “Ocean-2.” The company plans to deploy the “Ocean-3” platform for demonstration by the end of this year and aims for commercialization in 2027.

This investment comes as Naver accelerates its efforts to secure AI data center infrastructure. Naver’s strategy is to strengthen its competitiveness in AI infrastructure by pursuing partnerships with global companies to secure AI infrastructure while also investing in next-generation data center technologies powered by renewable energy.

Pantala has also recently attracted interest from global investors. Last May, Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, led a $140 million investment round. Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, venture capitalist John Doerr, data center company Supermicro, and Hanwha Asset Management also participated in the investment.

The founder and CEO is Gas Sheldon-Coolson, who previously worked at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. Co-founder Brian Lee Moffatt is a former engineer specializing in tidal power generation.

Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver, stated, “Naver is expanding its business scope into AI data centers and is rapidly securing differentiated data center infrastructure through global partnerships and other initiatives.” She added, “We will proactively invest in next-generation technologies, such as AI data centers powered by tidal energy, to strengthen our competitiveness in the global AI infrastructure market across multiple fronts.”