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A lot of people may not want this in their backyard, but that’s exactly what Marsden Park, in Sydney’s north-west, is going to get.
The biggest of big data centres is coming to a suburb about 36 kilometres north-west of the centre of Sydney, with the Minns NSW government announcing a green light for the construction of the largest data centre in the southern hemisphere.
“Approval of the largest data centre for the southern hemisphere is an exciting step forward for digital infrastructure in NSW and Australia,” Daniel Mookhey (pictured), NSW Treasurer, said in a 28 November statement.
“This project will support the booming digital economy while also creating hundreds of jobs through both construction and operation, delivering more high-tech employment opportunities close to home for workers in Sydney’s west.”
The NSW government said the $3.1 billion data centre “will provide reliable infrastructure for computing needs of the community, governments and businesses across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region”.
It will be built using green technologies, including advanced energy efficiency and sustainability measures, and the government – alongside developer CDC Data Centres – said the energy to run the centre will be sourced from renewable energy providers. Despite this, the project faced initial pushback from the Blacktown City Council.
Despite this, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said it “carefully addressed issues such as operational noise, air quality and bulk and scale”.
“This $3.1 billion hyperscale data centre will be a powerhouse for Australia’s future digital economy and is a great example of digital infrastructure being delivered sustainably,” Minister for Planning and Public Places Paul Scully said.
“The complex will create hundreds of jobs and provide sovereign infrastructure to make sure our most important data stays safe, and our systems stay strong.
“Whether it’s modelling climate change, running complex financial systems or just helping individuals to search and create, this facility will give people the tools they need to work faster and smarter.”
Anoulack Chanthivong, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, said the new data centre highlights the “dynamic innovation sector that NSW is fostering”.
“With their strong capabilities in enabling complex and powerful computing tasks, centres like this one are crucial to supporting businesses and individuals across our state,” Chanthivong said.
“Investments like this are crucial to cementing NSW as the innovation powerhouse of Australia, and the southern hemisphere.”
According to the CDC, the development consists of six data centre buildings, each four storeys tall, and containing 24 data halls, 40 generators, and attached office space.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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