Dutch ocean infrastructure specialist SBM Offshore has entered a global collaboration with tech giant Microsoft to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-powered carbon-free floating power. The aim is to address the growing need for reliable, affordable and green electricity.
The partnership combines SBM Offshore’s expertise in scalable ocean energy infrastructure with Microsoft’s leadership in AI, cloud computing and digital sustainability. The tie-up will explore new ways to integrate cloud-based tech, advanced analytics and AI into floating power generation.
The first phase will focus on deploying floating gas power with integrated carbon capture ands storage (CCS) in the UK continental shelf and Norwegian continental shelf ocean regions, leveraging SBM Offshore’s collaboration with Norway’s Ocean-Power AS.
The model is expected to serve as a blueprint for global expansion. The aspiration is to support energy security and decarbonisation objectives across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
Through AI-powered asset lifecycle assessment, carbon measurement, reporting and verification and predictive maintenance powered by Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry and Fabric, SBM Offshore’s floating platforms could enjoy improved system reliability, optimised energy efficiency and flexibility, reduced time to commission and better operational costs.
Olivier Icyk, SBM Offshore’s CBO, said, “Together, we will be able to identify the best approach for industries to achieve firm, scalable, and investment-ready clean energy solutions. SBM Offshore’s expertise in floating energy infrastructure and Microsoft’s digital intelligence expertise will boost the energy transition.”
Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice-President, Energy and Resources Industry at Microsoft, said the company is committed to advancing sustainability solutions that enable new models of carbon-free electricity generation.
The rapid expansion of AI-driven data centres and a wave of industrial reshoring are driving a surge in global electricity demand, with power markets scrambling to secure reliable supply. Global energy analyst Wood Mackenzie warns that in the US alone, electricity consumption is rising by as much as 3% per year.
The energy system that has been built over the last 100 years needs to be rebuilt, or at least reimagined, to serve today’s new tech needs, and the changing grid build-out prospects present upsides and risks. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon spent more on AI and data centres in 2023 than the entire US oil and gas sector, amounting to 0.5% of US GDP.
