In the heart of international waters, a new form of sovereignty is taking shape. It is not an island or an oil platform as the mythical one was Isle of Roses, but of a floating data center. The BlueSea Frontier Compute Cluster, with its 10.000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, it is not only a half-billion-dollar technological giant, but could represent the dawn of a (micro) nation driven entirely by artificial intelligence.
A utopia for some, a regulatory threat for others, this project raises fundamental questions about the regulation and future of AI.
Computational secession
Throughout the world (unfortunately and fortunately) technological innovation often collides with legislative barriers. This is why the BlueSea Frontier Compute Cluster (BSFCC) emerges as a solution as bold as it is controversial. This facility represents an attempt to create a “place” where artificial intelligence can evolve without the shackles of terrestrial regulations.
The vision of Of the Complex (company he launched the project) is clear: a data center which, despite not having solid ground under its feet, possesses all the attributes of a sovereign state. Their statement invokes the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Montevideo Convention, arguing that the BSFCC has a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the ability to maintain relations with other states. Remind you of something?
Innovation or Evasion?
As it was at the time with the "vision" of the Bolognese engineer Giorgio Rosa, some see the BSFCC as a beacon of progress, others view it with suspicion, seeing it as a ploy to evade fiscal and regulatory responsibilities. Del Complex, however, defends his creation as a bulwark against “decelerationism.” A term coined by them (I'm still trying to figure out how it relates to accelerationism) which they use to describe forces they believe slow human progress.
Come on, it's a data center
Despite the controversy, if I just think about the vision (without thinking about the intentions), the proposed data center seems "radical" to me. The facility promises to be a model of sustainability, with an advanced cooling system and the ever-present promise of solar power, as well as cutting-edge safety measures to protect both the technology and personnel on board.
Will he succeed? I believe it is no coincidence that this development was presented at a crucial time, with US President Joe Biden signing an executive order to regulate the development of generative AI. The BSFCC is therefore positioned as an alternative for those seeking to operate outside of these new restrictions.
I ask myself and say
It remains to be seen whether this ambitious project will be able to navigate not only international waters, but also the complex currents of global politics and ethics.
I understood that between Big Tech e Saudi princes our conceptions of state, sovereignty and regulation risk taking a leap forward (and into the void). For me, though, I can't help but wonder: are we ready for a world where artificial intelligence not only transcends physical boundaries, but also legal and moral ones?
The BSFCC may be just the beginning of a much larger debate on role of AI in our society and on our ability to control it and direct it towards a future that benefits everyone.
