NextDC opens $80m Darwin data centre

Data centre operator NextDC has opened its first data centre in Darwin. The $80 million D1 data centre has been developed in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and telecommunications service provider Vocus.

The data centre has a target capacity of 7 MW and 1000 racks, with 100% uptime availability. The facility offers low-latency access to a national partner ecosystem of telcos, cloud platforms and digital service providers. This includes fibre connectivity through Vocus’s Terabit Territory fibre network.

The facility has been designed to position the territory to take advantage of rapid developments in technologies such as artificial intelligence, according to NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie.

“D1 will play a pivotal role in accelerated computing and represents the next step towards achieving national digital equity for the Northern Territory,” he said. “This facility will enable organisations operating in the Northern Territory to embrace digital innovation and compete in new and dynamic growth markets across the APAC region.”

NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the deployment marks a milestone for the territory’s accelerating digital economy.

“[It will provide] numerous local and global organisations with mission critical infrastructure combined with access to global cloud platforms to drive and implement their digital growth strategies,” she said. “Northern Territory business and government will be able to significantly boost the capability of their current digital footprint, actively supporting our Digital Territory Action Plan to enable all Territorians to reach their potential and thrive in a digital economy.”

The data centre project has the participation of foundational partners including Aussie Broadband, GSL Networks and NetVault.

Image caption: NEXTDC D1 opening ceremony. Image: Supplied