Ever heard of the town Bundey?<\/p>\n
Just two hours northeast of Adelaide?<\/p>\n
The town recorded just three residents in the 2016 census, with that number dropping to none in the 2021 census.<\/p>\n
So you\u2019re forgiven for not having heard of it.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s all about to change as Australian-founded and Nasdaq-listed major tech firm Iren have signed a deal to build a massive 800W AI data centre there.<\/p>\n
The facility will be the largest data centre in Australia and the first built in the country by the company, which currently has four data centres in the US and Canada, with another two in development.<\/p>\n
So why Bundey?<\/p>\n
Well, the company says, it\u2019s because Iren uses 100 per cent renewable energy \u2013 wind, hydro and solar \u2013 to power its centres.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A massive data centre is planned for Bundey, an SA town with no residents. Picture: Google Earth<\/p>\n
And Bundey\u2019s location \u2013 which has a recently-constructed major electricity transmission node linking several renewable energy zones \u2013 made it the perfect choice, Iren co-chief executive Daniel Roberts said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bundey campus is able to serve global and regional AI demand, as well as South Australia\u2019s own growing need for AI compute,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The site\u2019s abundance of clean energy helped it earn support from the state government.<\/p>\n
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said the facility reinforced the state\u2019s reputation as being an innovation hub.<\/p>\n
\u201cData centres are a significant economic opportunity, which can bring high-quality jobs, stronger renewable energy infrastructure, and new opportunities for regional communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While property records list a number of property sales with undisclosed prices in the town in recent years, its most recent listing on realestate.com.au was a 146ha property in 2021 that sold for $245,000.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Iren\u2019s Childress data centre in Texas is the company\u2019s largest in operation. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
There was one other listing on the site in 2018, with another three selling in 2011.<\/p>\n
According to Iren, the project will create 500 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing jobs.<\/p>\n
Goyder mayor Bill Gebhardt said the project \u2013 a staged development rolled out over eight years \u2013 was a boon for the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe it\u2019s a very good thing for our area because it\u2019s going to provide employment and obviously that\u2019s going to flow on to our schools, sporting bodies, volunteers, health providers, and there\u2019ll be a flow on effect because there\u2019ll be people employed in the nearby towns of Eudunda, Burra and Robertstown, so there\u2019ll be lots of other jobs created because of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Goyder Mayor Bill Gebhardt on his farm at Mt Bryan. Picture: Brett Hartwig.<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubt there\u2019ll be extra housing going in out there, but it will mean more people looking for housing in those towns, so there\u2019ll be housing options available.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a marginal country area with 200mm of rainfall and it\u2019s not prime agricultural land.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have been very concerned about the water usage but it has recirculating water so it\u2019s one of the more modern data centres.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe public support for it has been strong once they\u2019ve known the facts about it, and once they know more about it and once they find out it has very little water use they\u2019ll be even more supportive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s been their biggest concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe it\u2019s going to be a game-changer for the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few things battling in the area that you need that are very valuable, like schools, and we think it\u2019s a lot of pluses for the area.\u201d <\/p>\n
There are more than 260 data centres currently operating across Australia, with many more slated for rollout in the coming years.<\/p>\n
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