Ground broken at 'secure, sovereign' data centre
Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, The Hon. Clare O’Neil MP, has ceremoniously turned the first sod at Macquarie Data Centres’ newest facility, IC3 Super West in Sydney’s north zone. The data centre is being purpose-built for high-density AI and cloud workloads.
Fronting an audience of senior technology executives and data centre experts at the company’s ground breaking ceremony, O’Neil emphasised the role of secure, sovereign data centres in the nation’s digital future.
“Our country has really woken up to and started to fully understand not just the opportunities of a digital future, but also the need to be thinking about cyber and data security at the same time,” O’Neil said. “We have some really significant cyber issues and geopolitical tensions to manage as a country, and there’s every reason to believe the challenges we see are going to grow and exacerbate in the years ahead.”
The Australian Government’s 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy is heavily focused on protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure and strengthening its sovereign capabilities.
Macquarie Data Centres said its new campus will include a sovereign Cyber Security Centre of Excellence that integrates the latest in physical and virtual infrastructure security, supported by highly trained Australian Government-cleared engineers. This centre has also received investment from the NSW Government in order to expand the workforce of cybersecurity experts into the future.
“So profound is the impact of AI and cloud that it’s being hailed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by a different kind of factory, AI factories — scalable and flexible data centres purpose-built for high-density compute,” said Macquarie Data Centres Group Executive David Hirst.
“IC3 Super West is our answer to the nation’s need for sovereign AI and cloud data centre capacity. As we continue to expand, we will be acquiring new campuses here in Sydney’s north zone. We’re committed to supporting the growth of Australia’s digital economy and retaining our intellectual property within Australia,” he added.
IC3 Super West will be the third and largest addition to Macquarie Data Centres’ Macquarie Park Data Centre Campus. The facility will bring the total campus IT load up to 63 megawatts, with all the end state power already secured.
“This is a big opportunity for Australia, and one we are uniquely placed to benefit from. We have extraordinary companies which are doing world-leading things, and Macquarie is among them,” O’Neil said. “One of the great things about Macquarie is that it’s based in Australia and owned by Australians. This is sovereign capability and will create jobs in technology and construction.”
Construction on the facility started in June after Macquarie Data Centres appointed Australian company FDC Construction as the main build contractor.
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