US AI pioneer Anthropic plans to use giant Queensland data centre for Claude
The deal is a test of the Albanese Government’s plan to promote AI while avoiding a public backlash to the unpopular data centres used to power them.
A huge planned data centre in Queensland cattle country has signed an agreement with Anthropic to provide computing services for its Claude artificial intelligence program, according to two sources.
The deal creates a major test of the Albanese Government’s plan to promote AI while avoiding a public backlash to the computer centres used to power them.
The Western Downs Digital Park, which would cost some $30 billion to build, is about 250km west of Brisbane in a region that has long fought the coal-seam gas wells that would help power Australia’s largest data centre.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.News of the lease agreement between the proposed park’s owner, Singapore-based Zerra DC, and Anthropic, which is located in San Francisco, emerged on Wednesday morning not long after the leaking of a government proposals to allow AI models access to some copyrighted works of writers, artists and musicians unless they expressly withdraw permission.
Opposition to the data centres needed to operate AI programs is rising across the western world, clashing with experts’ predictions the technology will be able to make workers more productive, raising wages and living standards.
The Queensland data centre, which is awaiting regulatory approvals and would be Australia’s largest, is scheduled to open next year and would require 2.16 gigawatts of electricity to operate, about the same as 1.6 million homes.
Residents are already mobilising against it. A petition submitted to the Queensland parliament demanding politicians block the project has received 1340 signatures two weeks after going live.
The petition states the signatories are concerned about the project’s “scale, noise, water requirements, traffic and road impacts, agricultural land, electricity and other infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, visual amenity, fire and emergency management, and proposed construction workforce accommodation”.
Anthropic has said it plans to use the data centre for answering questions rather than training Claude, a distinction that is significant because the company can state that it is not exploiting Australian writers, artists and media outlets. Anthropic and other AI companies are in negotiations with the Albanese government over copyright laws.
Anthony Albanese said his government welcomed data centres but warned they must provide enough electricity and water to cover their operations. The Western Downs Data has been designed to use a form of air conditioning to cool its computer processors, rather than water.
After filing paperwork for a sharemarket float in the US, Anthropic needs to continue growing quickly to justify a possible valuation of $US2 trillion ($2.8tr).
