Last week the internet was abuzz with rumors of who (and what) could possibly be behind the mystery barge that suddenly appeared off a pier at Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. After a week of speculation, unanswered questions, and poring through tidbits of questionable rumor mill fodder with a fine-tooth comb, The Verge finally confirmed today that Google is behind the impressive four-story, 250-foot-long mystery structure. Now the question on everyone’s mind – what is it for?

 
Google has had several discussions over the last few months with the National Park Service about bringing the barge into San Francisco and docking it alongside the Fort Mason center, as confirmed by Golden Gate National Recreation Area director of communications Howard Levitt this week. As of today, the Park Service has not yet authorized the barge to dock at Fort Mason, a permit which will be necessary if the project intends to moor the vessel for an extended period of time. The Coast Guard will also need to sign off on the project, which appears to be in the works as Reuters reported this week that at least one Coast Guard employee has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Google after visiting the barge Wednesday. No progress on the structure is currently being made as Google works to obtain the necessary permits to continue production on the barge.

 
The two most popular theories being spun right now are that the barge could possibly host either a Google Glass retail store or a massive floating data center. While it seems unlikely that the structure will be used as a showroom for Google Glass, it has been confirmed that Google has been quietly developing what they call a “retail experience” for Google Glass in their San Francisco office. Seeing as how Fort Mason boasts some of the most beautiful landscape San Francisco has to offer, it seems very plausible that Google would use this locale as a showroom rather than a data center. A source with “strong Silicon Valley connections” (the individual has asked to remain anonymous) reported to CNET last week that Google had plans to float the possible Glass store from city to city; even going as far as to say that the idea for the project came straight from Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. But there is also plenty of evidence that could point to the floating data center theory. Google has long been a pioneer in data center efficiency, so considering the use of a floating barge in the bay to use seawater for low-cost cooling or power generation would be right up their alley. Additionally, it’s likely more than coincidence that the company filed for a floating data center patent back in 2008.

 
However the structure ends up being used, Google continues to keep consumers on their toes and ever-interested in their next big invention. All of us here are keeping an eye out for more definitive answers on what the mystery barge turns out to be, and we’ll be sure and pass it along to you all as soon as we find out more. For now, there’s nothing like a little tech mystery for a very geeky Halloween.