Anthropic – which developed the Claude chatbot – will open its first Australian data centre at the Western Downs Digital Park in 2027, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told the state’s Parliament on 16 September.
The company’s long-term commitment will deliver jobs and increase Queensland’s electricity supply, Crisafulli said. “[Data centres] must add energy generation to the grid and drive down power prices for Queenslanders. [They] must protect local water supplies and respect [local] communities,” Crisafulli added.
Developer Zerra DC plans to build the Western Downs Digital Park in four stages, beginning with a 36,000 square metre data centre, the company told the Western Downs Regional Council in an August development application. Anthropic will use the park’s first data centre from 2027, according to Crisafulli.
Zerra DC expects each stage of the Western Downs Digital Park to consume up to 540 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of power. But each stage’s actual power use will depend on user demand, according to the company.
Zerra DC has not developed energy generation projects linked to the Western Downs Digital Park, but may soon need to. The Federal Government plans to require data centre developers to build new renewable generation, underwrite power costs, and pay for grid connections from early 2027, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on 15 July.
The Queensland Government will be able to apply to exempt itself from the Federal Government’s renewable generation rule if it can supply non-renewable energy at a lower cost than renewable energy, Bowen said on 29 August.
But the Federal Government expects to apply its data centre standards nationwide. “There [will be] no carve-out for Queensland or the Northern Territory. There [will be] no card that they can play to say we don’t have to comply with [data centre development] rules,” Bowen said.
The Western Downs Digital Park will consume 21,000 litres of water each day, which Zerra DC expects to secure by treating rainwater and recycling water from gas plants. The development – which is located in the grain-rich and livestock-rich Darling Downs – is unlikely to consume groundwater, according to Zerra DC.
By Avinash Govind