Valve co-founder Gabe Newell continues to expand beyond the gaming industry: his marine research organization, Inkfish, has signed a contract with the Norwegian shipyard Vard for the construction of the deep-sea research vessel RV11000. The project is estimated at €700 million (about $816 million), making it the largest single order in shipyard history and one of the largest contracts in Norwegian shipbuilding.

The length of the future vessel will be 162 metres with a width of 28 metres, and up to 130 explorers and crew members will be on board – mostly in single cabins for maximum comfort during long expeditions. The RV11000 design is designed to operate in extreme conditions: the vessel will be able to map the seafloor, service submersibles and maintain remotely controlled systems up to 11 kilometers deep. The key feature will be a record-breaking battery-operated unit, allowing up to 12 hours of scientific work in "silent mode" – without noise and vibrations, critical for sensitive measurements.

Delivery of RV11000 is scheduled for the first quarter of 2030. The development is being carried out by the Vard design office in Olesunne with the participation of the technical partner YTMC and the Fincantieri group, and based on the platform Vard 9 42 with elements tested on a smaller vessel Inkfish RV6000 (length 100 meters), which will be delivered to the customer in 2028. For Newell, ranked 293rd on Forbes' list of billionaires, this project is a continuation of his basic science investment strategy: the oceans remain among the planet’s least-explored regions, and new-generation mobile laboratories can open up access to previously inaccessible ecosystems and geological formations.