Panthalassa, a renewable energy and ocean technology company, has raised $140 million in Series B funding led by Peter Thiel, with participation from investors including John Doerr, TIME Ventures, and Founders Fund. The company is developing autonomous floating systems that harness ocean wave energy to power artificial intelligence computing at sea. Instead of sending electricity back to land, these “Ocean-3” nodes process AI inference onboard and transmit results via satellite, aiming to reduce pressure on terrestrial data centers. The systems are designed to operate in high-energy ocean regions, using wave power as a continuous renewable energy source while also leveraging seawater cooling to improve hardware efficiency and longevity. Panthalassa plans to complete its pilot manufacturing facility near Portland, Oregon, and begin ocean deployment trials in 2026, with commercial rollout targeted for 2027. Supporters say the approach could expand global computing capacity while addressing energy demand, grid constraints, and environmental challenges tied to traditional data centers.
Read more here
