Intrigue spurs speculationGoogle initially had little to say about the barge, leading to a guessing game about the intentions of the company based in Mountain View.
There were reports that the vessel might be turned into a party boat where Google executives could schmooze with government leaders and important customers. Others theorized the barge would be a floating data center to help run Google services - a concept the company has patented. Speculation that Google was building an aquatic store for its products seemed to make the most sense, given that the papers initially filed by Turner Construction described plans for a "floating retail store."
Google tried in November to clear up the confusion with a still-vague statement characterizing the barge as an interactive retail center.
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