AI Development
Anthropic signs first Australian data centre lease for $31bn Queensland project
Editorial Analysis
Anthropic signed a lease for capacity at the planned Western Downs Digital Park in Queensland, Australia, a project valued at approximately $31–32 billion with up to 2.16 gigawatts of capacity. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced the deal in parliament. The facility is intended primarily for inference (running Claude responses) rather than training and is scheduled to begin coming online in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals including the Foreign Investment Review Board.
At a Glance
Date
September 16, 2026
Importance
High
4/5
Category
Infrastructure
Axis of Change
Deployment Expansion
Organizations
Models Affected
Sources
- 01 theguardian.com
- 02 reuters.com