SBM Joins With Microsoft to Develop Floating Gas Power Plants

SBM Offshore NV, a maker of giant offshore oil infrastructure, is working with Microsoft Corp. to develop floating gas-fired power plants that could one day provide power for data centers.

The companies will look at plants that generate electricity, have integrated carbon capture and storage and utilize Microsoft’s artificial intelligence analytics. The first phase of the project will focus on situating the units in UK and Norwegian waters.

“Grid capacity existing around the Western world and developing countries is already pretty much saturated,” SBM Offshore Chief Executive Officer Oivind Tangen said in an interview Thursday. “There is a demand ...