NEXTDC on Thursday committed $2 billion to a new data centre hub in Melbourne’s Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct, promising customers the latest AI infrastructure at a new 150MW, 50,000m² facility.
Dubbed M4 Melbourne, the facility will feature a liquid-cooled “AI factory” that supports NVIDIA’s top chips and uses recycled wastewater, waste heat recovery and renewable energy.
It will also include a mission-critical operations centre, and a centre of excellence to develop skills and R&D, the company said.
The Allan government is backing the project as it plays catch up with NSW in digital infrastructure, but M4 remains subject to final design and development approval.
NEXTDC is expecting approval early next year and an 18 month build to follow.
“Compute is the new electricity,” said NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie. “Just as electricity powered the industrial age, sovereign AI infrastructure will power the next one.”
M4 will be part of the state government’s Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct being built on the former site of General Motors Holden. M4 will be located within the precinct at the former NewsCorp-owned Westgate Park Printing Complex.
The innovation precinct will also include the University of Melbourne’s new engineering and design campus, set to open next year and will focus on experimental research and collaboration with industry.
“Precincts matter. They create the gravitational pull for investment, innovation, and talent. By anchoring M4 at Fishermans Bend, we’re activating a nationally integrated ecosystem for industrial AI, defence, research, and deep tech,” Mr Scroggie said.
“We are building the foundational infrastructure for Australia’s participation in the next wave of global innovation.”
The Victorian government allocated $179 million to develop Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct in 2021 and wants it to be home to 30,000 jobs in science, technology, engineering and associated fields by 2051.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the generational investment by NEXTDC will lead to thousands of jobs and “cements Victoria’s reputation as the centre of innovation”.
“We’re open for business, and we’re backing Victorians every step of the way,” the Premier said.
The state government on Thursday also released the Victorian Industry Policy, which sets out how government, businesses and researchers can work together to use new technology and grow local industries and jobs.
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