Bill Gates’ new yacht is hydrogen-powered and costs $644 million

Bill Gates may have been focusing on charity in the past decade or so, but he still buys a pricy gadget every now and then. 

Case in point: his latest purchase, according to The Telegraph is Sinot Aqua, a hydrogen-powered superyacht with an estimated price tag of $644 million. 

The 112-meter long yacht has five decks which host 14 guests and a 31-person crew. It comes with a number of ultra-fancy amenities, including an infinity pool, a deck lounge that turns into a home (boat?) cinema, a spa, gym, beauty salon, helipad, and a private observatory deck at the yacht’s bow with a near-unlimited view of the ocean. 

The yacht’s two 1MW motors, fueled by two massive hydrogen tanks, give it a 17-knot top speed and a 3,750-mile range.

Despite all the luxury, the fact that the Aqua is the first fully hydrogen-powered vessel of its kind gives the yacht an environmentally-friendly note, though I somehow doubt we’ll see people buying such vessels en masse, however sustainable it may be. 

According to The Guardian, Gates often takes holidays on superyachts, though he typically rents them — this is the first time he’s bought his own. 

The yacht, which was announced at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show, will likely go to sea in 2024. 

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is currently the second-richest person in the world according to Forbes, with an estimated $96.5 billion fortune. Together with his wife Melinda, he oversees the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private charity organization in the world.