Google has finally broken the silence regarding the mystery barges recently uncovered in San Francisco and elsewhere tied to the search giant. Early speculation suggested the floating facilities might be datacenters in the making but according to a Google spokesperson, that isn’t exactly the case.
In a message sent to several news outlets, Google shot down the idea of the barge housing a floating datacenter, it being a wild party boat or even a facility to house the last remaining dinosaur (darn). Instead, the search giant said they are exploring the barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology.
The spokesperson did note that it was still early days and things may change, however.
This falls in line with related rumors that suggest the barges will be used as a luxury showroom for Google Glass on an invite-only basis. Some of barges contain a four-story tall structure built from shipping containers. It is believed the first three floors would be used to show new products while the upper deck would serve as a party deck.
Others believe Google is simply building the structures on barges to avoid mandatory city building permits that would otherwise disclose the purpose of the facility. If true, Google could be getting the buildings ready on water before moving the structure to land.
Another theory is that the structure isn’t actually built using shipping containers but rather they are used to cover up what is being worked on inside. This seems a bit more plausible as a shipping container facility doesn’t exactly do much for Google in the aesthetics department, but I digress.
