Eignarhaldsfélagið Farice ehf. - Company Announcement

Opera Software ASA opens eco-friendly data center in Iceland

•  The Norwegian browser-maker becomes the first international company to move
   its data processing to an Icelandic data center
•  Opera seeks a supply of renewable energy which Iceland can provide

•  Thor Data Center is now the most eco-friendly data center in the world
•  Opera's Icelandic operations will generate a vast increase in data transfer
   through the FARICE and DANICE sub-sea cables 

Today at 12 noon Icelandic time, the President of Iceland and Iceland's
Minister of Industry will open the first Icelandic data center, at Steinhella
in Hafnarfjörður, the third largest city in Iceland. An Icelandic company, Thor
DC, is behind the construction of the center and its operations. Thor DC was
founded by a handful of Icelandic entrepreneurs with years of experience in the
IT industry, with the participation of Icelandic venture capitalists. 

World-renowned software company seeks renewable energy for computing power
Opera Software ASA, a Norwegian software company, primarily known for its Opera
family of web browsers which has several hosting centers globally will today
sign an agreement to move a significant part of its electronic data traffic to
the Thor Data Center via sub-sea cables run by the Icelandic telecommunications
company E-Farice . With the expected growth of Opera products, any increased
traffic will in the future be transfered through E-Farice and Thor Data Center.
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, founder of Opera Software, will sign the
agreement on behalf of Opera. Opera Software currently has over 110 million
users for its browsers across the world. 


New technology shortens constructing of new data centers
Preparations for the establishment of the data center began 18 months ago. The
short time frame, from the founding of the company until it has become ready to
offer data storage services to international customers, was made possible
through new data center technology. This technology allows data centers to be
composed of smaller units (so-called data containers), which offer added
flexibility in scaling any such ventures. Thor DC collaborates with a Spanish
technology firm that has become a leader in the production of the
abovementioned containers. 

World's most eco-friendly data center 
From the first day of its operations, the Thor data center will be the most
eco-friendly data center in the world. This is both due to the type of
technology it utilizes and because it uses only renewable energy from local
sources. The data center has secured 3.2 megawatts of electricity to be
provided by HS Energy on the Reykjanes peninsula, which is extendable up to
19.2 megawatts. Thor DC is the first data center of its kind in Iceland, and
Opera Software ASA is the first foreign corporation that moves its data storage
facilities to the country. There are high hopes for the data center industry in
Iceland, and Thor Data Center's representatives feel that there is every reason
for optimism. Announcements concerning further agreements with large foreign
customers are expected in the near future, and the company's original plans for
the speed of its developments in Hafnarfjörður have already been revised. The
company's operations are now expected to outgrow the current premises as early
as next year
. 
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner said:
The reason Opera Software came to sign an agreement with Thor Data Center is
that the company can offer us energy from 100% renewable sources. In coming
years Iceland will be able to provide a more stable supply of energy than most
other areas in the world. This fact, combined with the excellent technical
knowledge of Thor DC's staff, is the main reason why Opera Software has decided
to base its data conversion in Iceland. We look forward to continued
collaboration with the entrepreneurs at Thor DC and to keeping up with
developments in the Icelandic data center industry. Clearly there are vast
opportunities in this field in Iceland. Entrepreneurship and boldness are
essential to leading Iceland out of its economic crisis.
(Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner is willing to grant interviews to the press upon
request) 

As stated earlier, the opening of the data center takes place at 12 noon today,
Friday, at Steinhella in Hafnarfjörður, in the presence of distinguished
guests. Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, and Katrín
Júlíusdóttir, Minister of Industry, will each briefly address guests and then
join two data transfer cables, signifying the opening of data flow to and from
the data center. The agreements with Opera Software will subsequently be
signed, after which guests are invited to take a tour of the data center. The
Thor Data Center staff will be happy to answer any questions. 


For further information, please contact:
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, Founder of Opera SoftwareASA  tel. +47 40 40 14 40
Jón Viggó Gunnarsson, Managing Director of Thor DC, tel. +354 662-5005
Guðmundur Gíslason, Chairman of Thor DC, tel. +354 896-0426
Guðmundur Gunnarsson, CEO of Farice, tel. +354 893-4840
Andres Jonsson, Corporate Communications Thor DC tel +354 615-0110