The Floating Wind Revolution Just Got a Game-Changing Platform

Aikido’s AO60 Project Could Slash Costs and Reshape Offshore Energy

In a bold move for renewable energy, California’s Aikido Technologies and Norway’s METCentre are joining forces to deploy the 15MW AO60—a floating wind platform that could rewrite the rules of offshore power. Slated for installation in 2027, this first-of-its-kind design isn’t just big (it’s among the largest floating wind platforms ever built); it’s a masterclass in engineering pragmatism.

“This partnership merges California’s tech innovation with Norway’s offshore wind legacy,” says an industry insider. “It’s like Tesla teaming up with Viking shipbuilders.”

METCentre brings serious credibility: in 2009, it supported Equinor’s deployment of the world’s first floating wind turbine. Now, it’s betting on Aikido’s radical flat-pack design to cut costs. The AO60 platform’s secret? A modular approach using just 13 steel parts—columns and trusses—fabricated at existing sites, then assembled near METCentre in days rather than months. Traditional designs, by contrast, require sprawling shipyard space and painstaking welding.

The engineering sleight-of-hand lies in pin joints. These eliminate major welding or painting, letting the platform fold like origami during assembly (using one-third the space of conventional rigs) before unfolding via ballasting in water. This isn’t just clever—it’s a logistical win. Aikido’s design leverages Norway’s maritime infrastructure, tapping local ports, vessels, and supply chains for assembly and deployment.

“Think IKEA meets offshore wind,” quips a project manager. “But instead of a wobbly bookshelf, you get a 15MW power plant.”

If successful, the AO60 could prove that floating wind—long seen as prohibitively expensive—can compete with fixed-bottom turbines. The demo project will test Aikido’s cost-saving tech while providing real-world data for scaling up. With global floating wind capacity projected to explode from 200MW today to 25GW by 2030, the stakes are high. And this time, the underdog might just have the perfect countermove.