Construction begins on new AI and cloud data centre in Sydney

Macquarie Data Centres has begun construction on its IC3 Super West data centre in Sydney.

IC3 Super West is being purpose built for high-density cloud and AI workloads, including hybrid air and liquid cooling options. It will allow more sovereign AI and cloud data centre capacity within the Sydney area (sovereign AI refers to a company or country that is building its own AI infrastructure).

The facility is the third and largest addition to the provider’s flagship Macquarie Park Data Centre Campus in Sydney’s North Zone, and will bring the total campus IT load up to 63 megawatts (MW).

Group Executive of Macquarie Data Centres, David Hirst, says sovereign AI and cloud data centres are the backbone of Australia’s AI-driven future.

“IC3 Super West will be Certified Strategic by the Australian federal government,” he says.

“This gives our data centres a strong compliance posture as regulations around data sovereignty and AI continue to tighten in Australia and worldwide.”

Macquarie Data Centres has appointed FDC Construction as the main building contractor for the project. IC3 Super West will be the seventh project the companies have worked on together, and the construction cost for the completion of phase one is estimated to be $350 million.

Hirst believes the widespread adoption of AI is fuelling a new wave of next-generation AI infrastructure and graphics processing units from tech giants such as Dell and Nvidia.

“These highly dense compute technologies can only live in purpose-built data centres that meet their significant power and cooling requirements,” he says. “IC3 Super West is being built to cater to the rising demand in Australia.”