Gabe Newell funds $815 million deep-sea research vessel to explore uncharted ocean depths
By
Sayan Chakravarty
12h ago· 5 min readenNews
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Summary
Gabe Newell, billionaire co-founder of Valve and Steam, is funding the construction of the RV11000, a massive $815 million deep-sea research vessel through his marine research organization Inkfish. The 531-foot ship, being built by Norwegian shipbuilder VARD, will carry 130 crew and scientists, dual submersibles, and a 15,000-meter lifting system to explore uncharted parts of the ocean. Scheduled for delivery in 2030, it represents the largest single-vessel order in VARD's history and a significant shift from the space-focused ambitions of other billionaires toward deep ocean exploration.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe contract is the largest single-vessel order in VARD's history and the largest order of its kind ever secured by a Norwegian shipyard
Newell is backing a project that looks less like a luxury purchase and more like a floating scientific moonshot
The billionaire co-founder of Valve, the company behind Steam, is looking in the opposite direction, not toward the stars, but into the deepest corners of the ocean
For decades, the world’s richest people have competed to own larger yachts, faster private jets, more extravagant homes, and lately, even rockets built to reach space, and perhaps even Mars. Gabe Newell appears to be playing a different game. The billiona
