Firmus Expands Project Southgate Across Australia

Led by Firmus Technologies in strategic partnership with CDC Data Centres and NVIDIA, Project Southgate will deliver sovereign, world-class AI capability at scale, positioning Australia as a leader in digital innovation, advanced manufacturing and supporting the clean energy transition.

Southgate will drive widespread productivity for the nation,
and ensure Australia’s AI future is built on local innovation, renewable energy, and under sovereign control.

AI Infrastructure that Advances Australia’s National Priorities

Project Southgate heralds the beginning of Australia’s AI Factory era—an Australian-built renewable-powered infrastructure network that unlocks national capability in artificial intelligence, while driving progress on clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital sovereignty.

Through this project, the partners will create thousands of direct and indirect advanced manufacturing and construction jobs, whilst supporting the creation of up to multiple gigawatts of net new renewable energy.

Supporting New Renewable Energy Projects

Every stage of Project Southgate will be powered by renewable power, and in new locations, including Southgate Tasmania, will directly support the development of net new renewable generation. Through to 2028, Southgate could support the development of up to 5.1GW of new wind, solar, storage and hydro generation projects across Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and the ACT, delivering economic value to the nation while strengthening Australia’s net zero transition.

The project’s network of AI Factories across Australia will accelerate the country’s path to net zero by providing long-term demand certainty for new clean energy projects. The flagship Green AI Factory Campus in Tasmania anchors new digital industry directly to the state’s renewable power grid, supporting the business case for major projects like Marinus Link.

Beyond energy, Southgate is a national catalyst for sovereign capability, creating thousands of skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing, construction, and high-tech operations, while showcasing how homegrown innovation can lead in responsible AI.

"Project Southgate is a blueprint for how Australia can lead the world in scalable, sovereign AI infrastructure. We’re building a new kind of national capability—Australian-designed, powered by renewables, and ready to meet global demand for energy-efficient intelligence." - Oliver Curtis, Co-Founder and CEO of Firmus Technologies.

First Stages Underway

Southgate’s first stages are under construction in Tasmania and Melbourne, with up to 150MW, representing 54,000 GB300 delivered by mid-2026. The Alliance’s $4.5 billion first-stage investment is to be delivered at Southgate Melbourne. This AI infrastructure will feature 18,500 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs, which have been ordered and are expected to come online by April 2026, becoming available to enterprise, education, government, start-up and scale-up users across Australia through the Firmus AI Cloud.

Best-in-Class, Supported by NVIDIA

DGX Cloud will be among the first in the world to benefit from access to Southgate’s efficient, high-performance infrastructure by establishing a DGX Cloud region at Southgate Melbourne. In partnership with Firmus, DGX Cloud’s utilisation of sustainable AI infrastructure further advances NVIDIA’s mission to democratise access to more efficient, more sustainable computing. This sustainable AI infrastructure further advances the mission to democratise access to more efficient, more sustainable computing.

Built by CDC: Sovereign Digital Infrastructure

CDC Data Centres will provide the critical, sovereign digital infrastructure for Project Southgate, ensuring the highest standards of security, reliability and Australian ownership.

CDC’s facilities provide the highest resilience, availability and security, and, unlike other data centres, operate with near-zero water consumption, setting a benchmark for sustainable digital infrastructure.

“CDC is proud to provide the data centre infrastructure for Project Southgate and play a critical role in positioning Australia as a leader in sustainable AI. This project will create tens of thousands of safe, high-paying Australian jobs across trades, construction, operations and knowledge work and send a clear signal that Australians can benefit from applying ingenuity, innovation and world-leading designs to shape the future of AI.” - Greg Boorer, CEO & Founder, CDC

Key Facts: Project Southgate

Investment: A$4.5 billion initial investment, with scale up to A$73.3 billion and 1.6GW of operational AI Factories through 2028.

Jobs: Up to 20,700 direct jobs created through 2028, across construction, advanced manufacturing, operations, and technical roles.

New renewables generation: Up to 5.1GW of net new renewable generation supported, with 100% renewable energy powering all AI Factories.

Technology: Australian-designed and manufactured AI Factory technology, delivering world-leading energy and water efficiency (PUE 1.10, >99% less water use).

Sovereignty: Majority Australian ownership and governance, with strategic protections for national interest.

Global Integrations: Accelerated by NVIDIA GB300 NVL72; CDC’s sovereign hosting credentials.

Export Opportunity: AI tokens and services surplus to domestic demand will be offered to allied markets, creating a premium ESG-branded export class for sustainable AI.

Security: Sovereignty, government-grade security and compliance with both Australian and global best practice and security standards.

Media contact

Lauren Crystal, Head of Communications

Email: lauren.crystal@firmus.co

Phone: +61 423 197 690