The multi-purpose floating vessel produces its own electricity for 32,000 households

According to Interesting Engineering, the US-based company Optimal Transit designed a multi-purpose ship model called Blue Economy VITAL 100 MW Kraaken with 60 MW AI computing capacity. This high-tech ship uses a small water take-off area (SWATH) dual hull structure combined with a flexible mooring system to ensure stable offshore operations. The Kraaken could provide a utility solution in regions largely dependent on expensive diesel generation such as the Pacific Islands, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Initially, when launched in July, Kraaken was introduced as a floating offshore AI data center capable of providing its own power thanks to its patented Digital Ocean Thermal (DOT) engine. The new configuration redirects a large portion of the energy to provide uninterrupted power and clean water directly to coastal communities. The ship can serve a small city from offshore without connecting to the existing power grid.

The new layout transforms Kraaken into a multi-functional utility center, producing 40 MW of clean electricity to supply approximately 32,000 households and 29.9 million liters of clean water daily for 150,000 people through vacuum desalination. Approximately 60 MW of onboard power capacity is retained for high-performance AI computing and data needs.

Both electricity, clean water and calculation data are transferred to shore through a specialized cable system. This configuration allows the ship to quickly disconnect and relocate within a few hours if threatened by severe weather or changing operational needs, then quickly reconnect when conditions stabilize. The ship can also assist in disaster recovery by deploying within days to provide emergency power and clean water when coastal power grids are destroyed, without relying on land-based infrastructure, Gadget Review reported.

In particular, the ship structure can be expanded upon request. For example, combining five ships into an energy park with a capacity of 200 MW of electricity, 151 million liters of clean water and 300 MW of computing power, meeting the needs of an urban area without consuming land or fuel. Building equivalent infrastructure on land would require three separate projects with costs ranging from $750 million to $1.33 billion. In addition, the ship will help reduce delays caused by licensing and planning procedures of up to 6-10 years. The onboard system will reduce onshore development costs by approximately 22-56%.

According to Biggo Finance, Kraaken's advantages are especially attractive in developing regions vulnerable to natural disasters such as Asia-Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa, where unstable power grids force many to use diesel generators at a cost of $0.4-0.55 per kilowatt-hour.