MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 22, 2026
Louis Wolfson, a Needham, Massachusetts-based realtor, is trying to orchestrate the development of an underwater artificial intelligence data center — all powered by the energy of the tides and cooled by the surrounding seawater. Both elements of the project, if realized, are poised to be among the first of their kind. Taken together, they represent a new approach to powering the AI tech boom. He filed a preliminary permit application last month to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting approval to study a 400-acre site. Some in the Passamaquoddy community at Sipayik, which lies just over two miles to the west from the project site, have their doubts. The new project could threaten tribal fishing access — Passamaquoddy culture — and bring about significant economic consequences for the local community.