Building Better Data Centers: Why We Invested in Nautilus
Nautilus Data Technologies sits on the bleeding edge of one of the most important shifts in digital infrastructure: how we cool ever more powerful data centers without overwhelming local water and energy systems. Their EcoCore platform is a modular, facility‑scale liquid cooling solution designed to make AI‑ready data centers more efficient, flexible, and sustainable wherever they are built.
Read on to learn in detail why we’re proud to lead Nautilus’ recently closed Series B.
Why Cooling Needs a Rethink
AI and high‑performance computing are pushing server power densities into territory that traditional air cooling can no longer handle efficiently. Many estimates state that air cooling systems consume up to 40% of a data center’s energy. This is a problem that needs to be rethought. That is why there is a shift and almost all operators are now moving toward liquid cooling, but a large share of facilities still rely on water‑hungry cooling towers and complex, energy‑intensive chiller plants that add cost, risk, and environmental impact.
At the same time, data center operators are under pressure from customers, regulators, and communities to deliver more capacity without straining local grids or depleting water resources. The next generation of infrastructure needs to enable higher densities and better performance while simplifying cooling architectures and cutting resource intensity, not increasing it.
The Nautilus EcoCore Approach
Nautilus’ EcoCore platform is a breakthrough hard tech innovation that tackles this head‑on with facility‑scale liquid cooling built around cooling distribution units (CDUs) that can support a full range of cooling methods in the same data hall: direct‑to‑chip, immersion, rear‑door, or traditional hot aisle. EcoCore FCD, for example, delivers up to 4000 kW of heat rejection per CDU, giving operators the headroom they need for dense AI and HPC workloads while consolidating cooling infrastructure into a modular, easily deployed package.
Rather than locking customers into a specific server or fluid, Nautilus emphasizes compatibility and flexibility. EcoCore is vendor‑agnostic across server and liquid cooling technologies and can tie into a variety of water sources, from industrial systems to natural bodies of water, while operating as a closed, leak‑proof system on the facility side. That combination allows operators to adopt liquid cooling at their own pace and mix, while future‑proofing their sites for higher densities and new workloads.
Water‑Efficient by Design
A defining attribute of Nautilus’ technology is its focus on water efficiency. EcoCore is engineered to operate with zero water consumption when connected to suitable natural or industrial sources, eliminating the need for evaporative cooling towers and the chemicals and blowdown they typically require. Their patented vacuum‑sealed, leak‑prevention design allows high‑performance liquid cooling without the operational and risk concerns that many operators associate with facility‑wide liquid systems.
This “computing with a conscience” philosophy runs through the company’s mission: high‑density, AI‑ready performance without forcing a trade‑off with environmental responsibility. For operators seeking to meet aggressive sustainability targets, that matters as much as the raw thermal performance.
Why We Invested in Nautilus
We invested in Nautilus because EcoCore represents exactly the kind of hard tech infrastructure we believe the market needs next.
A platform solution rather than a one‑off facility design, built to be modular, replicable, and compatible with a wide range of cooling strategies and server technologies.
A clear performance edge, with facility‑scale liquid cooling designed to deliver high heat‑rejection capacity, low PUE, and significantly reduced dependence on legacy cooling assets.
Water‑smart engineering that eliminates cooling towers and can enable zero‑water‑consumption operation with the right sources, at a time when water constraints are becoming a strategic issue for data center siting and permitting.
A team with infrastructure DNA that combines technology, policy, and project execution experience, and that has a track record of working with partners, from integrators to campus developers, to bring new cooling architectures into real‑world deployments.
On the Horizon
As AI and high‑performance computing continue to scale, the data center cooling segment is growing even faster than the broader market, and much of hard tech in general, which creates strong tailwinds for solutions that can unlock higher densities with lower resource use. Nautilus’ EcoCore platform is well positioned in this landscape. It sits at the facility layer, where decisions about cooling architectures shape long‑term cost, flexibility, and sustainability.
We see Nautilus as a key player in the emerging ecosystem of companies redefining how digital infrastructure is built and cooled. Their technology offers operators a practical path to step‑change improvements in efficiency and water use, without sacrificing performance or locking into a single hardware stack. That is why we invested, and why we are excited to support Nautilus as EcoCore moves from early deployments toward broader adoption across the data center industry.