How IREN found a home for its latest data centre in the empty plains of South Australia
A barren rural locality with no official residents will host the $30 billion neocloud’s first Australian AI data centre. The local mayor is ecstatic.
Tram-faring residents of Adelaide may have wondered why a Nasdaq-listed data centre operator was plastering their preferred mode of transport with advertising for at least a couple of months now.
On Wednesday evening, they got their answer, as Sydney-founded, US-listed IREN announced plans to build its first Australian facility in South Australia, consistent with a timeline first reported by Capital Brief in May.
“South Australia offers what AI infrastructure at scale requires: abundant clean energy, the connectivity to serve the APAC region, and a state government that understands the opportunity and is acting on it,” Co-CEO Dan Roberts told the Nasdaq overnight.
The plan for an 800 megawatt data centre in Bundey, South Australia was announced alongside an agreement to plug into ElectraNet’s nearby electricity transmission hub known as the Bundey substation. Land work and procurement will begin after regulatory approval is received.
