NAUTILUS
DIGITAL REPORT 2020
Transforming in the Data Center Industry
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
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Transforming in the Data Center Industry
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James Connaughton, Nautilus CEO, discusses how his firm is revolutionising the data center industry
N
autilus Data Technologies is a global pioneer in water-cooled data centers and is leading a global transformation to ultra-
efficient, high-performance and environmentally sustainable operations in the data center sector. James Connaughton is the CEO at Nautilus. Having joined the organisation in March 2016, he 04
has overseen the implementation of the world’s first water-cooled and water-borne data center with Nautilus. “There are two essential features,” explains Connaughton. “The first and most important feature is cooling with naturally cold water, which is how all other major infrastructure sectors address the large amounts of heat generated by their systems. These include, for example, thermal power plants, ships, industrial processing facilities, and paper mills. Only data centers, generate heat at a similar industrial scale, still use massive and unsustainable air-cooling systems. The second feature is mobility--the ability to prefabricate the data center in large modules, and either assemble them onto a barge and deliver it fully ready to go, or transport the modules to
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a prepared site for rapid assembly.
that sustains and enriches the lives
Placing essential infrastructure on
of people around the world. “Data
barges—such as energy barges and
centers now stand alongside power
water treatment barges--is a well-
generation, drinking-water plants,
established model for enabling rapid
waste-water plants, roads and other
and flexible access to such infrastruc-
critical infrastructure that allows
ture in fast growing and emerging
society to function and create good
markets. The opportunity and need is
outcomes for people,” he explains.
equally strong today when it comes to
“Access to the water molecule and
providing access to digital infrastruc-
the electron has long been vitally
ture to those who currently lack it.”
important. Worldwide access to the
Connaughton believes data centers
photon for data delivery is the next
are the newest and most important
essential piece.” Over the past two
component of critical infrastructure
years, Connaughton has overseen
“ Data centers are the newest and most essential piece of critical infrastructure for the world” — James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus
the development of the company’s first full-scale commercial facility, which provides six megawatts of water-cooled data center capacity on a barge. He strives for an innovative approach across all his operations. “We’ve been on the arc of creative invention and cleverly practical engineering to make that a reality,” says Connaughton. “The first part of our
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
James Connaughton Title: CEO
Company: Nautilus
Industry: Data Centre
Location: San Francisco Bay
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James Connaughton is the CEO at Nautilus. Having joined the organisation in March 2016, he has overseen the implementation of the world’s first water-cooled and water-borne data center with Nautilus. He began his career as a Partner at Sidley Austin focusing on energy, natural resources and environment, energy and environmental management and compliance assurance systems. He then moved on to serve as Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush. Roles followed at clean energy companies Constellation Energy and Exelon, and big data analytics company C3.ai, before moving into his current role at Nautilus.
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“ We’ve been on the arc of innovation and invention and engineering to make a high performing and environmentally sustainable data centre a reality” 08
— James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus
company’s life has focused on building a functional prototype, and then using that experience to make the thousands of decisions of what not to do against the several hundred decisions of what to do in bringing a full scale facility into being. We’re really excited to be commissioning that data center in California in just a few weeks time.” Nautilus is planning to develop facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, and has been contacted by potential partners to pursue projects in the Middle East, Africa,
Nautilus Data Technologies | Water-cooled Data Centre CLICK TO WATCH
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09 and South America. “Once our data
Connaughton explains that a key
center in Northern California is up
part of his organisation’s development
and running, we look forward to
has been to develop the supply chain
onboarding a great set of anchor cus-
partnerships with companies such
tomers,” says Connaughton. “We will
as Usystems, Schneider, Vertiv, and
show the world the ultra-efficiency,
George Fischer, among others. “Our
high-performance, and the strong
objective is to work with partners that
sustainability of our approach. After
can help us make this technology
that, we are ready to rapidly move into
available globally,” he says. “These
other locations to “productize” the
partnerships are important because,
technology and we look forward to
as customers, communities, and
partnering through joint ventures and
digital infrastructure providers become
technology licensing so that we can
excited about taking advantage of
get this important technology out into
our technology, we don’t want to lose
the world as quickly as possible.”
ground in being able to deliver it. In order www.na ut i l us d t . com
Systems
www.usystems.com
Future proofing data centers with advanced, sustainable and energy saving coldlogik cooling technology Low to high density cooling ‘in one solution’.
All Aboard!! USystems are proud to be an integral part of the Nautilus journey incorporating ColdLogik adaptive intelligence into the ‘TRUE ’ green data center solution. A shared vision leading with innovation, high-performance and sustainability. TM
“ In order to support an innovation company like ours, partners must field tiger teams that know how to interact with startups and other smaller technology innovators like us” — James Connaughton, CEO, Nautilus
to support an innovation company like ours, partners must field tiger teams that know how to interact with startups and other smaller technology innovators like us. And these teams need to have the creativity and agility to adapt as the innovation advances. We’ve come a long way in just three years, and there is a lot more to come. Our partners need to keep pace with us.” With the future in mind, Connaughton believes that the data center industry is moving rapidly to where the users are in order to
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provide the more powerful computing
highways, railroads, airports, ports,
and faster connections necessary
and even overnight package delivery.
for smart-city, smart-transportation,
To these we will now add warehouses
smart grid, tele-medicine and other
of computers, countless miles of
highly valuable digital applications
fiber optics, and an endless array of
and services. “This means high-per-
wireless devices linking everyone to
formance data centers in the centre
everything digital. We need to make
of every population center,” he says.
sure that the environmental footprint
“We’ve seen this dynamic before with
of the data centers at the heart of all
the buildout of other forms of public
of this well serves both society and the
and private infrastructure—such as
planet. It’s very exciting.”
electricity and gas delivery, public water systems, telecommunications, www.na ut i l us d t . com
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