What are data centres?
A data centre is a physical facility storing computing and networking equipment and their related hardware. They collect, process store digital data and distribute and allow access to digital resources.
What does it mean for the community?
Data centres provide the physical infrastructure for the technology we depend on at work and in our personal lives. They enable e-commerce, machine learning (AI), cloud computing and remote work, helping businesses across nearly every industry.
From global to local businesses, governments, councils, hospitals, schools, retailers and restaurants, data centres are relied on every day.
Whenever you open an app on your phone, join a virtual classroom or meeting, send an email, go online to pay a bill or find a recipe, snap and save photos, stream a movie, listen to music or podcast, or play a game online, you are using a data centre.
What we’re doing
We own and operate the Victorian electricity transmission network, which allows large data centres to connect and operate effectively with scalable and reliable transmission level connections. Our role in data centre projects is to:
- do due diligence on the high load transmission power needed by data centre operators / developers
- closely collaborate with data centre operators / developers by identifying the grid connection equipment needed to enable data centre operations
- provide design, supply and construction expertise, to reliably connect the data centre to the electricity network
- provide ongoing operations and connection services for the life of the data centre
- provide fibre services from our existing highly reliable fibre network to data centre customers.
We have a dedicated connections team supporting customers on their data centre projects. In 2024, we successfully connected the first transmission level data centre in Australia.
We plan and proactively engage with stakeholders and local communities before and during construction and keep them informed of any potential disruptions, such as traffic or other disruptions.
Contact
If you are a data centre operators or developer considering projects in Victoria, please email our data centre team at development@ausnetservices.com.au.