Anthropic, a leading AI company, has signed its first lease for data center capacity in Australia, according to sources familiar with the deal. The site, located on a campus planned for farmland about 250km west of Brisbane, belongs to a Singapore-based developer, likely Zerra DC, and plans are to reach 2.16 GW, making it one of the largest computing campuses.
The facility will handle only inference, or rapid, prediction-based processing, running models that have already been trained rather than training new ones. The value and financial terms of the lease, as well as its length, were not disclosed. The deal still needs approval from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board.
This move is not unexpected, as Anthropic has been circling Australia for most of the year. In March, CEO Dario Amodei signed a government memorandum of understanding, expressing interest in investing in data center infrastructure and energy throughout the country. Emails obtained by the ABC later revealed that the company had asked New South Wales officials about installing up to 5GW of AI training capacity in the state.
The recent lease in Queensland is the latest in a series of significant infrastructure investments for Anthropic, following a substantial $45bn Nscale deal in Britain and a 20-year Riot contract in the US. The project's location puts it at the center of Australia's debate over who should pay to power these facilities, with Canberra working on national energy rules that would make large data centers buy electricity from new renewable projects.
Meanwhile, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli wants standards that still allow for gas and coal. Zerra's site is next to three gas-fired power stations, as well as solar and wind farms. Before the deal can proceed, Canberra's foreign investment regulator needs to approve it, and the Dalby council must also agree.
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