DNV GIFT — Ground Investigation for Floating Wind

GIFT (Ground Investigation for Floating Wind) is a joint industry project launched by DNV in early 2025, building on workshop foundations laid in February 2024. The 1.5–2 year initiative brings together over 15 partners — operators, designers, contractors, regulators, and academic institutions — to define how the floating wind industry should conduct ground investigations.

The work targets a fundamental challenge in floating wind: optimising site soil characterisation within the time constraints of project schedules, while producing reliable, certifiable anchor designs at scale. A central focus is the move from position-specific anchor testing toward environmental-class approaches that better fit the economics of floating arrays.

Outputs are intended to remove ground investigation from the critical project path and provide clear guidance on the expectations for floating wind projects adopting a holistic approach to ground characterisation.