A research center dedicated to the emerging field of artificial intelligence will soon open in Limestone.
Next week, Kennebunk-based artificial intelligence startup Eternal Mind will begin the renovation of its first quantum computing research center at the former Rolling Air Force Base. The company initially claimed it would be the first such data center in the world, but later confirmed it would be the first in Maine.
Eternal Mind CEO Avery Thomas said:
Founded in 2021, Eternal Mind is the first company hired by Green 4 Maine, which owns part of the former base, to revitalize Loring as an aerospace and tech hub.
The base closed in 1994 and 3,800 of the 9,000 acres became the Loring Commerce Center, operated by the Loring Development Authority. More than 700 jobs have been lost in recent years, with the closure of major industrial and manufacturing facilities.
Earlier this year, Maine-based developer Green 4 Maine purchased 450 acres from the Loring Development Authority. They promised to build new homes within the next decade and bring hundreds of jobs to the area. Prior to coming to Aroostook County, the group worked to develop manufacturing in southern Maine.
Eternal Mind hopes to create at least 30 to 50 new jobs in Rolling and open a research center by the end of this year. If they succeed, Green 4 Maine will be on the road to fulfilling Loring’s big promise.
An agreement with the Loring Development Authority requires companies to create at least 75 new jobs before acquiring more land in Loring.
Carl Flora, President and CEO of Loring Development Authority, said: “Eternal Minds can provide excellent technology-oriented jobs for the region.”
Quantum computers digitally simulate physical and biological processes. Quantum computing is a form of artificial intelligence that attempts to emulate aspects of human cognition, so it will be useful to scientists studying new drugs, Thomas said.
“If scientists are studying potential new drugs, quantum computers can mimic the effects of those drugs on the human body,” said Thomas. “Quantum computers model these effects days later, while conventional computers can run the same simulations within months.”
Eternal Mind’s data center will be located on approximately five acres of land at the corner of Cupp and Northcutt roads in Loring. The building once housed an Air Force data center, which housed sensitive military data, but closed in 2017.
Eternal Mind is the second company to recently announce an investment in Loring.
Washington, DC-based DG Fuels announced in November that it would build a $4 billion facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel. The 1,240-acre DG Fuels site is still owned by the Loring Development Authority, but Green 4 Maine has expressed an interest in acquiring the site.
Eternal Mind chose Loring because of the building’s existing digital infrastructure and the vast surrounding land that allows for future growth, said Thomas. The company wants Northern Maine to be at the forefront of innovation.
“Quantum computing is still very new. There are only a few players on the West Coast, such as Google, IBM and Microsoft,” said Thomas. “We will compete with those companies.”
Scott Hinkel, president of Green 4 Maine, could not be reached for comment.
