Anthropic Signs First Australian Data Centre Lease

Anthropic has secured its first data center lease in Australia, marking a significant expansion of its global infrastructure footprint. The agreement covers capacity at a facility located on a planned campus situated approximately 250 kilometers west of Brisbane. This development follows reports from Reuters, which cited two individuals with knowledge of the transaction as the source for the initial details.

The land hosting this new computational hub is owned by a Singapore-based developer, identified as likely being Zerra DC. The broader project aims to achieve a total power capacity of 2.16 gigawatts (GW), a scale that would place it among the largest computing campuses globally if fully realized. However, specific financial details remain opaque. Neither the monetary value of the lease nor its duration has been disclosed, and the deal is still pending approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the Queensland facility will be dedicated exclusively to inference workloads. This means the servers will handle prediction-based processing for models that have already undergone training, rather than engaging in the computationally intensive process of training new AI models. This strategic focus distinguishes the Australian site from other major infrastructure projects currently under discussion elsewhere.

While this lease represents a concrete step forward, it is the culmination of months of diplomatic and corporate maneuvering. Earlier this year, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei visited Canberra in March to sign a government memorandum of understanding. During this visit, he stated that the company was “exploring investments in data center infrastructure and energy throughout the country.”

Further evidence of Anthropic’s ambitions emerged from emails obtained by the ABC. These documents revealed that prior to the Canberra trip, the company had inquired with New South Wales officials about installing up to 5GW of AI training capacity in the state. Although the final lease was signed in Queensland, these earlier inquiries highlight the company’s interest in maximizing its presence across different Australian jurisdictions.

This move aligns with a broader trend of substantial capital deployment by Anthropic. The Queensland lease follows a $45 billion deal with Nscale in Britain and a 20-year contract with Riot in the United States. These agreements underscore the company’s aggressive strategy to secure the physical resources necessary to support its growing suite of AI services.

The location of the data center also places it at the epicenter of a national debate regarding energy sourcing and cost allocation. The Australian government is currently drafting national energy rules that would require large data centers to purchase electricity from new renewable energy projects. In contrast, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli advocates for standards that continue to permit the use of gas and coal power. Zerra’s proposed site is strategically positioned next to three gas-fired power stations, as well as existing solar and wind farms, reflecting this tension between traditional and renewable energy interests.

Before construction can proceed, the deal must navigate several regulatory hurdles. In addition to the federal approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board, the local Dalby council must also grant its consent. Until these approvals are secured, the project remains in a transitional phase, balancing corporate ambition with complex political and environmental considerations.