Nathaniel Harman - Episode 171 - The Route to Networking

From Oceanography to Offshore Infrastructure

Nathaniel Harman on ocean thermal energy, AI demand, and why the ocean may power the future of digital infrastructure

In this episode of the Route to Networking podcast, host George Copley speaks with Nathaniel Harman, Co-Founder and CEO of OceanBit, about one of the most unconventional intersections in modern infrastructure: ocean energy and high-performance computing.

Nathaniel’s journey spans oceanography research, early machine learning experiments, Bitcoin mining, and building subsea power infrastructure designed to support the next generation of AI data centres.

 What follows is a wide-ranging discussion about energy, infrastructure, and why the future of digital infrastructure might be built around energy resources rather than major cities.

An Idea That Started in a Graduate Office

Before OceanBit, before offshore power plants, and before conversations about powering AI infrastructure, Nathaniel was an oceanography graduate student at the University of Hawaii.

His academic work focused on marine geology, chemistry, and developing new methods for analysing ocean nutrients. But alongside that research, he was also experimenting with early machine learning models - years before AI became the global conversation it is today.

At one point, he realised something simple.

He had powerful GPUs sitting in his office, access to electricity, and free cooling from the surrounding environment.

“So I did what any entrepreneurial graduate student would do,” Nathaniel jokes. “I put the GPUs to work in the mines.”

Mining Bitcoin was not the goal in itself. But it sparked a realisation that would shape everything that followed.

What if high-performance computing could be paired with a completely different kind of energy infrastructure?

The Technology Most People Have Never Heard Of

Ocean thermal energy is not new.

In fact, the core concept dates back more than a century. But despite decades of research, it has never reached large-scale adoption.

At its core, the idea is surprisingly simple.

Warm tropical surface water sits above extremely cold deep ocean water. That temperature difference can be used to drive a heat engine and generate electricity, using technology similar to geothermal power systems.

Nathaniel describes it simply.

“Ocean thermal is just thermal energy from the ocean. Instead of drilling into the earth like geothermal, you use the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water.”

In many ways, the ocean acts like a massive natural battery.

The physics works. The challenge has always been something else.

Economics.

The Hidden Problem With Ocean Energy

Ocean thermal plants produce reliable, constant power. Unlike solar or wind, they can generate electricity twenty-four hours a day.

But historically, they have struggled to compete commercially.

One reason is that energy demand does not always match energy supply. At certain times, power generation exceeds what local grids can consume.

For decades, this made projects harder to justify financially.

Nathaniel’s insight was to rethink what could use that excess power.

Instead of wasting it, why not run computing infrastructure directly alongside the energy source?

At the time, that meant Bitcoin mining.

Today, it means something far bigger.

When AI Changed Everything

The explosion of artificial intelligence has dramatically increased global demand for computing power.

Training large models and running inference workloads requires enormous amounts of electricity. Data centres are expanding rapidly, but energy infrastructure is struggling to keep up.

As Nathaniel explains:

“Data moves at the speed of data, but infrastructure moves at the speed of infrastructure.”

In other words, software innovation is moving far faster than the physical systems needed to power it.

This is where OceanBit’s model starts to make sense.

If energy can be generated offshore and computing infrastructure can operate nearby, many of the traditional bottlenecks disappear.

But that raises another question.

Why build data centres on land at all?

The Case for Offshore Data Centres

The idea of building infrastructure in the ocean might sound radical, but it is already happening.

Several organisations are experimenting with underwater or offshore data centres. Tests have shown that systems submerged in the ocean can operate more efficiently thanks to natural cooling.

Cooling alone is one of the largest energy costs in modern data centres.

In the ocean, that resource is effectively unlimited.

There are other advantages too. Offshore infrastructure faces fewer land constraints and, in many cases, fewer permitting hurdles.

Nathaniel believes the next step is obvious.

If you are already offshore, generating renewable energy and surrounded by natural cooling, why not run the computing infrastructure there too?

More Than Just Energy

OceanBit’s long-term vision is not just about power generation.

It is about building offshore infrastructure that supports the wider digital ecosystem.

Subsea fibre cables carry the majority of global internet traffic. These cables require small but constant amounts of power along their routes to keep signals moving across thousands of kilometres.

Providing power from offshore platforms could unlock new routes for data cables and reduce dependence on crowded coastal landing points.

In effect, ocean thermal plants could become hubs for energy, computing, and connectivity all at once.

Why This Matters for Island Nations

 For Nathaniel, the mission is also personal.

 Living in Hawaii, he sees firsthand how expensive electricity can be on island grids. Power costs there can reach forty to fifty cents per kilowatt hour.

 Those prices do more than increase energy bills.

 They limit economic development.

 High electricity costs make it difficult to build manufacturing, industry, or technology infrastructure. Many island nations rely heavily on imported diesel fuel simply to keep the lights on.

 Ocean thermal energy could change that.

 Reliable renewable power would allow these economies to reduce fuel imports and unlock new industries that were previously impossible.

 In that sense, the technology is not just about infrastructure. It is about economic opportunity.

Looking Toward the Ocean’s Future

OceanBit is already working on projects in locations such as Fiji and Malaysia, where early developments are beginning to take shape.

The company’s approach focuses on building standardised offshore power plants that can scale over time, rather than designing every project from scratch.

But Nathaniel’s long-term vision stretches far beyond a handful of power plants.

He believes the ocean itself may become a foundation for future infrastructure.

“The ocean is the largest untapped resource we have available.”

While many people talk about space as the next frontier, Nathaniel sees things differently.

“If we can’t build permanent colonies in the ocean,” he says, “there’s no way we’re building them on the Moon or Mars.”

Listen to the Full Episode

In this episode of Route to Networking, Nathaniel Harman shares the story behind OceanBit, explains how ocean thermal energy works, and discusses why the future of digital infrastructure may be built closer to energy sources than population centres.

From graduate lab experiments to offshore energy systems, it is a conversation that challenges how we think about power, computing, and the ocean’s role in the future of technology.

Listen to the full episode to hear Nathaniel’s story.

🔗 Connect with Nathaniel here