Naver backs wave-powered AI data centers

South Korean portal Naver invested in Oregon startup Panthalassa, which is building floating, wave-powered AI data centers and targets commercial operation in 2027. Yonhap’s report says the startup, founded in 2016, would run workloads offshore, use seawater cooling, and send results ashore through low-Earth-orbit satellite links; Naver did not disclose investment terms. The bet is an infrastructure option, not near-term capacity: operators comparing onsite data-center power economics should file Panthalassa as a pilot to watch rather than compute they can buy today.