Anthropic signs deal for its first data center in Australia
Anthropic has signed a deal for its first data center in Australia, which it will lease at the Western Downs Digital Park in Queensland. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced this in the state parliament, Dawn reports.
According to Crisafulli, the developer of the Claude large language model will be located at the new digital park, which is expected to open next year. Anthropic representatives did not immediately comment on the deal.
Digital park parameters
According to Western Downs Digital Park plans, the complex will consist of four buildings. The data center area in each of them will be 36,000 square meters.
Project developer Zerra DC said in planning documents that the facility will primarily use air cooling. The company noted that this will ensure the project does not compete with the local community for water resources.
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The documentation also states that the Western Downs region is a major electricity producer in Queensland and has a surplus of power. Crisafulli said the deal with Anthropic will provide new jobs, add energy to the grid, and take community interests into account.
Data center regulation
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last month that the federal government would seek to pass legislation with national minimum standards for data centers’ water and energy use. The proposed rules are also intended to reduce the impact of such facilities on communities: they are planned to be located farther away from homes, schools, agricultural land, and potential housing sites.
Anthropic has also asked Australian officials to amend copyright legislation to make it easier to train artificial intelligence models. This prompted a negative reaction from media companies, musicians, and other creators.
