Anthropic signs lease for major Australian data centre

AI company Anthropic has signed its first Australian data centre lease agreement with Singapore-based developer Zerra DC. The deal involves the Western Downs Digital Park in regional Queensland, located approximately 250 km from Brisbane. The project, estimated to cost between $31.9 billion and $32 billion, is expected to come online in 2027, pending local council and federal approvals.

The facility is projected to be one of the world’s largest computing sites, with planned capacity reaching 2.16 gigawatts. However, the scale of the project has sparked significant debate regarding environmental and infrastructure impacts. Critics, including Greenpeace Australia Pacific, have warned that the massive energy and water requirements could increase climate pollution and strain local electricity grids.

In response to the rapid expansion of the industry, the Australian government has announced a consultation process to develop national AI infrastructure standards. These standards aim to establish mandatory minimum requirements for large data centres concerning energy use, water sustainability, and community impact. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has indicated that new developments will likely be expected to provide their own renewable energy sources to mitigate local grid impacts.