Request a Quote

Ireland Strategic Investment Fund announces major investment in clean tech sector

Ireland Strategic Investment Fund logo
Share This Post

  • Initial $5m investment in Nautilus Data Technologies will support Ireland’s development as a leading global data centre and clean tech hub

  • Fund partners with prominent innovation and sustainable investors Emerson Elemental, Singapore’s Keppel Group and other private clean tech investors in a $26m (€22m) funding round

  • Investment will be used to advance cutting edge green technology for ultra-efficient, water-cooled data centres, which can be situated either on waterborne barges or on land adjacent to a large water source, and to commence the construction and operation of new modular data centres in Ireland and for global markets

The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund has announced an investment in Nautilus Data Technologies, Inc., a California-based global pioneer in highly efficient and environmentally sustainable data centres. This significant investment in the clean tech sector will support the establishment of Nautilus’ commercial operations in Ireland, with the aim of constructing a new generation of leading edge data centres in Ireland for use in the Irish and global markets.

The Fund has invested $5m alongside other major investors taking part in a c.$26m (€22m) equity funding round.

Nautilus’ award-winning technology delivers a dramatically reduced environmental footprint at a substantially lower cost, when compared with existing facilities, through enhanced energy efficiency, virtually no usage of water, water treatment chemicals, or potent greenhouse gas refrigerants, and greatly reduced carbon emissions and air pollution. These green data centre projects will serve leading Irish and international technology companies and consumers of data services around the world.

Paul Saunders, ISIF Head of Innovation and Special Investments, “Ireland is home to some of the world’s biggest data centres and is well placed to become a global leader in innovative data centre technology. This investment demonstrates the Fund’s ability to back cutting-edge, clean technology that will place Ireland at the forefront of data centre design. We are excited by Nautilus’s ability to substantially reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of data centres. It’s a great example of the Fund’s “double bottom line” mandate of generating a commercial return in addition to supporting economic activity and employment in Ireland.”

The investment will enhance Ireland’s existing leadership position and support of advanced IT infrastructure. It is expected to create manufacturing, operational and professional services jobs in the information technology, maritime, construction, financial, legal, marketing and real estate sectors.

At full capacity, the first Nautilus data centres to be built in Ireland are expected to generate up to $40m (€34m) of revenue annually, and this investment will position Ireland to pre-fabricate modular data centres for sale into global markets.

The Fund is co-investing alongside world class investors Emerson Elemental and Singapore’s Keppel Group and other private clean tech investors to provide Series C funding to Nautilus.

James Connaughton, President and CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies, “Nautilus Data Technologies, Inc. is honoured to have the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund as an investor in our company. As a clean tech businessman, a market driven environmentalist and a first generation Irish-American, I am personally proud to be part of Ireland’s growing global leadership in technology innovation, advanced workforce capability, and environmental sustainability.”

Nautilus’s strategy is to use its patented, highly-efficient water-cooling technology and data centre design to substantially improve energy and resource efficiency in data centres, and save customers money. Its technology eliminates the large volumes of water and chemical consumption associated with traditional data centre construction and operations, delivering significant cost savings alongside substantial environmental benefits.

More Recent Posts
News & Updates

Can The Smallest Data Centers be Sustainable?

Sustainability is on the radar for data center designers, builders, and operators.  As regulators and citizens are becoming anxious at the demands data centers place

Nautilus March 9, 2023
nautilus data technologies logo
Nautilus Data Technologies’ water-cooled data centers are leading a global transformation to high-performance, ultra-efficient, and environmentally sustainable operations in the data center sector. Our patented and award-winning cooling technology is proven to exceed the most stringent compliance requirements in the world.
Linkedin Facebook Twitter

Our Solutions

How We Do It

Insights

About Us

Request a Quote

Do you want to make your data center as green as it is powerful? Send over your requirements and we’ll be back with you as soon as possible. 

If you have a general inquiry, please contact us here.

Schedule a Tour

Chad Romine

Chad Romine has over two decades of experience in technical and strategic business development. As Vice President of Business Development for Nautilus Data Technologies, Mr. Romine brings global connectivity to some of the most prominent global influencers in technology. Mr. Romine has led startups and under-performing companies to successful maturity built largely upon solid partnerships. Proven results in negotiating mutually beneficial strategic alliances and joint ventures. Outside of work, Chad has invested time fundraising for the American Cancer Society. Mr. Romine recently helped secure funding and led marketing for the completion of a new private University.

Ashley Sturm

Ashley Sturm is a marketing and strategy leader with more than 15 years of experience developing strategic marketing initiatives to increase brand affinity, shape the customer experience, and grow market share. As the Vice President of Marketing at Nautilus Data Technologies, Ashley is responsible for all global marketing initiatives; she integrates the corporate strategy, marketing, branding, and customer experience to best serve clients and produce real business results. Before joining Nautilus Data Technologies, she served as the Senior Director of Marketing Brand and Content for NTT Global Data Centers Americas, spearheading marketing efforts to open two out of six data center campuses. Prior to NTT, Ashley led global marketing through the startup of Vertiv’s Global Data Center Solutions business unit, where she developed the unit’s foundational messaging and established global and regional marketing teams. Ashley’s career experience includes extensive work with the US Navy through the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness as well as broadcast journalism. Ashley earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in converged media from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.

Paul Royere

Paul Royere is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Nautilus Data Technologies. For more than twenty years, he has specialized in finance and administration leadership for emerging technology companies, guiding them through high growth commercialization. In addition to senior team roles guiding strategic business operations, Mr. Royere has directed cross-functional teams in implementing business support systems, designing and measuring business plan performance, leading pre/post-merger activities, and delivering requisite corporate, tax and audit compliance.

While at 365 Data Centers, Mr. Royere served as Vice President of Finance leading a multi-discipline restructuring in preparation for the successful sale of seventeen data centers. As Vice President and Corporate Controller at Reliance Globalcom, Royere led the finance and business support teams to and through the conversion from a privately held company to a subsidiary of an international public conglomerate.

Arnold Magcale

Arnold Magcale is founder and Chief Technology Officer of Nautilus Data Technologies. As a recognized leader and respected visionary in the technology industry, he specializes in data center infrastructure, high-availability networks, cloud design, and Software as a Service (SaaS) Technology.

While serving on the management team of Exodus Communications, he launched one of Silicon Valley’s first data centers. Mr. Magcale’s background includes executive positions at Motorola Mobility, where his team deployed the first global Droid devices, and LinkSource Technologies and The Quantum Capital Fund, serving as Chief Technology Officer. He was an early adopter and implementer of Cloud Computing and a member of the team at Danger, Inc., acquired by Microsoft.

​
Mr. Magcale had a distinguished ten year career in the United States Navy Special Forces. His military and maritime expertise provided the foundation for inventing the world’s first commercial waterborne data center.

Patrick Quirk

Patrick Quirk is a business and technology executive who specializes in operations management, strategic partnerships, and technology leadership in data center, telecommunications, software, and semiconductor markets. Prior to joining Nautilus, he spent the past year working with small businesses and non-profits on survival and growth strategies in addition to PE advisory roles for critical infrastructure acquisitions. Quirk was the President of Avocent Corp, a subsidiary of Vertiv, the Vice President and General Manager for the IT Systems business, and the VP/GM of Converged Systems at Emerson Network Power, providing data center management infrastructure for data center IT, power, and thermal management products. He has held numerous global leadership roles in startups and large multinational companies including LSI and Motorola in the networking and semiconductor markets.

Rob Pfleging

Most recently, Rob was the Senior Vice President of Global Solutions at Vertiv Co, formerly Emerson Network Power. Vertiv Co is an international company that designs, develops and maintains critical infrastructures that run vital applications in data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities. Rob was responsible for the global solutions line of business at ​​Vertiv, which serves the Americas, Europe and Asia. Prior to Vertiv, Rob was the Vice President of Expansion and Innovation, Datacenter Engineering at CenturyLink, where he was responsible for 55 datacenters across North America, Europe and Asia. Before working for CenturyLink, Rob was the Executive Director of Computer/Data Center Operations at Mercy, where he led datacenter engineering and operations, desktop field services, call center services, and asset management and logistics for more than 40 hospitals. Before fulfilling this mission at Mercy, Rob held various engineering management and sales positions at Schneider Electric. Rob Pfleging additionally served for 6 years in the United States Marine Corps.

James Connaughton

James Connaughton is a globally distinguished energy, environment, technology expert, as both corporate leader and White House policymaker. Mr. Connaughton is the CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies, a high-performance, ultra-efficient, and sustainable data center infrastructure company powered by its proprietary water-cooling system. Before joining Nautilus Data Technologies, he served as Executive Vice President of C3.ai, a leading enterprise AI software provider for accelerating digital transformation.

From 2009-2013, Mr. Connaughton was Executive Vice President and a member of the Management Committee of Exelon and Constellation Energy, two of America’s cleanest, competitive suppliers of electricity, natural gas, and energy services. In 2001, Mr. Connaughton was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate to serve as Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He served as President George W. Bush’s senior advisor on energy, environment, and natural resources, and as Director of the White House Office of Environmental Policy. During his eight-year service, Mr. Connaughton worked closely with the President, the Cabinet, and the Congress to develop and implement energy, environment, natural resource, and climate change policies. An avid ocean conservationist, Mr. Connaughton helped establish four of the largest and most ecologically diverse marine resource conservation areas in the world.

Mr. Connaughton is a member of the Advisory Board of the ClearPath Foundation and serves as an Advisor to X (Google’s Moonshot Factory) and Shine Technologies, a medical and commercial isotope company. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Resources for the Future and a member of the Advisory Boards at Yale’s Center on Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia’s Global Center on Energy Policy.