Nautilus Data Technologies to Develop the First Sustainable Digital Infrastructure in a Qualified Opportunity Zone

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Nautilus Data Technologies (“Nautilus”) is developing the first major sustainable digital infrastructure in Millinocket, Maine, a rural area designated as a Qualified Opportunity Zone. The 13-acre, 60MW data center facility is engineered to become one of the greenest facilities in the world. Nautilus will use its patented water-cooling systems and 100% hydroelectric power both to support conventional computing and unleash the availability of high-performance computing with dramatically improved energy, water, and environmental performance.

Millinocket is one of seven Qualified Opportunity Zones in Penobscot County that provide federal tax advantages to attract investments into economically distressed communities. Millinocket is the former home of the Great Northern Paper Company, which began producing paper in 1902 and at its peak was the world’s largest newsprint producer. Nautilus will be the first tenant on the site of the former mill since it closed in 2008, launching a new beginning for the region. Read more about the Millinocket story and what’s next here.

“With the help of Nautilus, Maine is demonstrating that we can be a global leader in building pioneering digital technologies that will create jobs and strengthen our economy in an environmentally sustainable way,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This significant investment and new facility mark another important step forward in the revitalization of the former mill site and are further proof that sustainable innovation can power long-term economic growth in rural Maine.”

“Nautilus’ new facility will establish Maine as an international leader in environmentally sustainable data storage technology and lay the foundation for future economic growth,” said U.S. Senator Susan Collins, “By breathing new life into the site of the former Great Northern Paper mill, this substantial investment will help catalyze the creation of much-needed jobs in the region, attract other innovative companies, and strengthen the community.”

Nautilus data centers use its patented TRUE™ (Total Resource Usage Effectiveness) technologies to cool computer systems by using recirculated water from a nearby ocean, river, or lake. TRUE™ enables the high-performance computing systems to meet the growing global demand for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications such as smart city, smart transportation, smart grid, telemedicine, breakthrough R&D, public health, safety, and security.

“As the global economy continues to emphasize both the importance of digital infrastructure and the urgency of confronting climate change, sustainable projects like this are the blueprint for Maine’s future,” said Senator King. “The new Nautilus facility is an important step to revitalize the regional economy, which will put Maine on the map as a leader in digital innovation, further our state’s longstanding commitment to environmentally-friendly industry, and create good jobs that strengthen our communities.”

The Millinocket Data Center will use 70% less power than a traditional data center would use for cooling and will provide 30+% net reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions and air pollution. Unlike the highly resource-intensive and unsustainable characteristics of conventional air-cooled data centers, the Millinocket Data Center will consume zero drinking water, use zero greenhouse gas refrigerants or chemicals, produce zero wastewater, make no noise, and cause no harm to fish or wildlife. Combined with the use of 100% hydroelectric power, the Millinocket Data Center will be the greenest data center globally.

“Nautilus Data Technologies is setting new data center industry green power efficiency benchmarks for reducing data center environmental impact that are key considerations in today’s ESG investment climate. The Millinocket data center will repurpose the infrastructure of a closed paper mill to provide businesses in the Northeast with an unrivalled high- performance data center for mission-critical applications. CapZone is honored to be the Opportunity Zone finance partner to support Nautilus’ acceleration both in the US and overseas,” said Al Puchala, CEO of CapZone Impact Investments.

Taking advantage of two fiber routes of Maine’s high quality, “Three Ring Binder” fiber-optic network, Nautilus will offer customers low latency connections to major commercial and digital hubs including New York, Chicago, Ireland, and London. Nautilus and site owner Our Katahdin executed a 99-year lease that allows engineering, permitting, site development, and project financing to immediately begin.

“A data center is an excellent fit for our multi-use industrial site. The site is uniquely positioned to provide ready access to affordable, 100% renewable power, gravity-fed water, and resilient, multi-point access to fiber broadband networks. We are honored to partner with Nautilus to put our infrastructure to work and to create opportunity in the Katahdin region,” said Sean Dewitt, President of Our Katahdin.

“Nautilus is leading the way to a new level of technical and environmental performance in our increasingly data-dependent world,” explains James Connaughton, CEO of Nautilus. “Our advances in digital infrastructure will help deliver outcomes that enhance people’s lives by accelerating social welfare, improving the environmental, and closing the digital divide.”

Committed customers include The Jackson Laboratory and Maine State Chamber of Commerce. The first phase of the $300 million project is expected to be commissioned and operating by late 2022.

Contact: Ashley Sturm

Phone: (636)887-5628
media@nautilusdt.com

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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.