IREN coy on Australian data centres as it kicks off Sydney charm offensive
The Sydney-headquartered company has no data centre developments in Australia but says it remains committed to its home city.
Nasdaq-listed bitcoin miner turned AI data centre builder IREN has ramped up a charm offensive in its home city, sponsoring the Sydney Swans AFL team and buying billboard advertising space in and around Macquarie Park, near several operational and proposed data centres.
But the neocloud’s co-chief executive Dan Roberts has remained coy about any move to open facilities on Australian shores, having previously complained about excessive red tape.
On Tuesday, he told Capital Brief that while “It’s positive to see AI and digital infrastructure getting attention at a national level”, he would like to see a sustained difference in execution, “things like permitting timelines and grid connection speed”.
“Continued progress there would go a long way toward unlocking more large-scale investment,” Roberts said.
