- Anthropic, the creator of the AI chatbot Claude, has revealed plans to build up to 5 gigawatts of data centre capacity in NSW, more than triple Australia’s entire current infrastructure.
- In a March 18 email, Infrastructure NSW executive director Dena Jacobs noted that Anthropic adviser John Garnaut discussed the opportunity to locate up to 5GW of AI training capacity in NSW.
- Two weeks later, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and senior executives visited Australia, meeting the prime minister and treasurer, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Albanese government.
- The proposed capacity would exceed three times Australia’s current total data-centre capacity of 1.6GW, according to new figures from Data Centre Australia.
- Currently, the national cabinet is meeting to debate new water and energy rules for AI data centres amid community concerns about their environmental impact.
- Internal government emails show that Anthropic expressed interest in locating up to five gigawatts of AI training data-centre capacity in the state.
- The ambitious proposal would require tens of billions in investment and massive energy resources.
- Australia’s renewable energy capacity, abundant land, and stability have made it an attractive destination, particularly as Anthropic faces US regulatory uncertainty.
- NSW has announced that qualifying projects meeting energy, water, environmental, and community requirements can have development applications assessed within 75 days.
- National cabinet is considering data-centre rules covering energy and water use as governments seek investment while communities raise concerns about infrastructure impacts.
Anthropic, the US tech giant known for its AI chatbot Claude, is pushing for a significant expansion of data centre capacity in New South Wales, seeking up to 5 gigawatts—a figure that exceeds Australia’s current total data centre capacity of 1.6GW. This ambitious proposal, which could require tens of billions in investment, comes as the company navigates regulatory uncertainties in the US.158
Internal emails from the NSW government indicate that Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, visited Sydney shortly after discussions in March, where he signed a memorandum with the Albanese government. The proposed capacity would more than triple the existing infrastructure, with projections suggesting national capacity could rise to 3.9GW by 2030.34
According to Olivia Shen, Director of Strategic Technologies at USSC, Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources and stable political environment make it an attractive destination for US AI companies. She noted, “With uncertainty about the regulatory landscape in the US, including a lot of local opposition to data centres, it makes sense for Anthropic to want to diversify its compute and its business outside of the United States.”1011
As Anthropic seeks to establish its presence, the national cabinet is also weighing new regulations on energy and water use for AI data centres, responding to community concerns about environmental impacts. NSW has announced that qualifying projects can have development applications assessed within 75 days if they meet energy, water, environmental, and community requirements.6
“The proposed 5GW would exceed three times Australia's current 1.6GW capacity, with national capacity projected to reach 3.9GW by 2030. Anthropic's interest stems from US regulatory uncertainty, as noted by USSC's Olivia Shen, and NSW has fast-tracked approvals for qualifying projects within 75 days.”
Happy Mag
United States Studies Centre
Oz Arab Media
