🟦 Welcome to the new Blue Tide
What's new, what's interesting, and what's next
I started Blue Tide to learn about the ocean tech industry and meet the people building it. What I didn’t expect was how many others would find it valuable.
Until now, I’ve written when inspiration struck. But going forward, Blue Tide will publish weekly and feature three spotlights on companies, studies, or ideas worth your attention.
My goal is to build a hub for anyone who wants to follow, understand, and champion what's happening in ocean tech.
A housekeeping note: The newsletter has moved from Beehiiv to Substack. Happy to talk through why with anyone curious.
All that said, I’m so glad you’re here for this next chapter! Let’s get into it.
🦾 The Offshore Wind Turbine Doubling as a Data Center
AI needs enormous amounts of energy, and finding space and power for data centers is becoming one of tech’s biggest challenges. San Francisco startup Aikido Technologies has a bold answer: build data centers inside the submerged pods of floating offshore wind turbines, using cold ocean water for cooling and wind above for power. A proof-of-concept is already in development in Norway, scheduled for deployment later this year.
It's an idea that addresses two of the most pressing infrastructure challenges of our time at once — AI compute demand and clean energy. It points to exactly the kind of lateral thinking that ocean tech does best.
🚢 Can AI Decarbonize Global Shipping and Save Millions in Fuel Costs?
Shipping is the circulatory system of global commerce, and one of the hardest industries to modernize. A new peer-reviewed study in MDPI Sustainability examines how AI is being applied across voyage optimization, wind-assisted propulsion, vessel automation, port coordination, predictive maintenance, ship design, and hull maintenance robotics to reduce both emissions and operational costs.
It further addresses AI’s own energy demands and argues the industry must account transparently for the computing costs behind these technologies before claiming a win.
🪸 Ocean Restoration Ecosystem Map
Most people know ocean restoration is important, fewer know just how many people are working on it. A new mapping project by inClimate has identified 380 ocean restoration companies operating across 60 countries, from coral gardeners in French Polynesia to oyster reef builders in New York Harbor, spanning reef restoration, kelp forest recovery, seagrass protection, and mangrove conservation.
Technology is also reshaping what restoration looks like in practice — biorock structures, 3D-printed reef habitats, and AI-powered coral monitoring among them. As these natural ecosystems begin to be recognized as critical infrastructure rather than simply conservation projects, the case for scaling and funding them only gets stronger.
If you know someone working in this space who isn’t on the dashboard, let the inClimate team know. See the full list.
Thanks for reading Blue Tide! If you come across any interesting stories, send them my way. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please reach out.