Gabe Newell will spend $300 million on the largest private research vessel. The head of Steam wants to explore the deepest regions of the oceans

In early August, it was announced that Gabe Newell became a shareholder in the yacht-producing company Oceanco. However, now Valve's founder is going a step further, as he decided to support the construction of a research vessel. As a result, a unit for exploring the deepest parts of the oceans will be created, and all discoveries are to be published for free (via Luxury Launches).

Gabe Newell supports the exploration of ocean depths

In 2021, Gabe Newell took an important step by establishing Inkfish Expeditions. This research company focuses on ocean exploration, especially their depths, which will now be supported by the construction of a new research vessel. Gabe Newell decided to spend a significant amount to build it, as the estimated cost could be around 300 million dollars.

Such a high cost would make the RV6000, as the unit is to be called, one of the most expensive research vessels in the world. This amount of money should come with great opportunities, as the ship is being prepared for multi-month missions on open waters. The goal is to examine the least studied areas of the oceans, map them and explore using remotely controlled vehicles and two-person submarines.

On board, there will be room for 70 scientists who will be able to use laboratories (dry and wet), workshops, and a command center, prepared to monitor multiple operations simultaneously using video. The construction plans are ambitious, and the RV6000 will become the third vessel of Inkfish Expeditions (alongside RV Dagon and RV Hydra) as well as the company's flagship.

Even compared to the creation of Valve and the Steam platform, Inkfish Expeditions seems to be Gabe Newell's most ambitious project. Recently, the creator of Steam appeared in a material presenting his second passion, next to games, which is discovering new marine species. However, Newell does not completely abandon gaming and follows the development of artificial intelligence. In his opinion, the ability to use AI models may bring more benefits in the future than learning programming.

• Gabe Newell
• tech