Adelaide gains mission-critical data centre

Australian data centre provider NEXTDC has officially opened A1 — Adelaide’s first Tier IV-certified data centre, which will supply the infrastructure needed to accelerate the digital transformation of government and business sectors operating in South Australia. Tier IV is the highest level of data centre certification offered by the Uptime Institute, suitable for critical operations due to its fault-tolerant status.

Built as a next-generation data centre, A1 Adelaide will play a key role in supporting the progress of South Australia’s government, defence, space, health, mining and resources industries.

Located within Adelaide’s city grid, A1 has a target capacity of 5 MW and approximately 3000 m² of IT space.

Artist’s render of A1 Adelaide.  

A1’s digital infrastructure will feature AI certification and a 100% Uptime guarantee to assure secure, low-latency access to a national ecosystem of over 750 global cloud and digital service providers. The facility will allow customers to maximise the benefits of advanced and quantum computing, automation and robotics.

“The A1 facility is Adelaide’s first Uptime Institute Tier IV-certified data centre, which will play a pivotal role in accelerating digital innovation and preparing South Australia to take advantage of the Fourth industrial Revolution powered by the development and adoption of AI,” said NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie.

“A1 Adelaide … offers high-density power, liquid cooling and diverse connectivity, and will provide real-time responsiveness to mission-critical requirements for key South Australian industries such as aerospace, defence and mining,” he continued.

“Additionally, with global tech companies expanding their footprint to include a presence in Adelaide, A1 will provide AI-certified, trusted critical infrastructure to drive their innovation ambitions as well as make the state attractive for ongoing investment.”

South Australian Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said that A1 represents a key advancement for South Australia’s digital economy, providing large-scale investment opportunities for local and global organisations seeking to leverage SA as a platform for economic growth, innovation and development.

Invest SA Executive Director Chris Wood said the Invest SA team had worked with NEXTDC for several years to support the company’s investment into South Australia, and it was exciting to see the state-of-the-art data centre come to fruition. “The data centre will underpin South Australia’s critical technologies ecosystem and expand the state’s digital infrastructure, helping us to make our economy more complex while creating important jobs for South Australians,” he said.

Australian fibre network provider Vocus is also working with NEXTDC at the A1 Adelaide facility. A1 will enhance Vocus’s fibre network capability from Adelaide to Melbourne, Perth and Darwin, helping to meet the growing demand for cloud computing and AI technologies.

“Digital infrastructure plays a critical role in the success of every business, and I am delighted to be strengthening our partnership with NEXTDC to advance South Australia’s digital economy,” said Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney.

“The A1 Adelaide data centre is another pivotal intersection in the Vocus and NEXTDC footprint that is delivering high-capacity fibre networks and high-capacity data centres for communities and industry across South Australia and beyond.”

Top image caption: SA Treasurer Stephen Mullighan with NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie at the opening of A1 Adelaide. Images courtesy NEXTDC.