Anthropic signs lease for first stage of Western Downs data centre campus

Anthropic's Australian subsidiary has signed lease documentation with Australian Data Centres (ADC) for the first stage of a hyperscale campus in Queensland's Western Downs, Private Wealth Daily reported on 3 November 2026. Dexus told the Australian Stock Exchange in its September quarterly update that the agreement is subject to customary approvals, including from the Dexus board. Dexus holds 85 per cent of ADC, and the lease terms were not disclosed.

September reports put the plan at four data centres on 720 hectares at Dalby, with 2.16GW of capacity and the first online in 2027. Zerra DC, reported to be part of the consortium, lodged an application for a Western Downs campus in August 2026. That filing describes building 1A at 36,000 square metres of data hall floor space, with a battery-backed power conditioning system and a 540MVA substation. Buildings 1B, 2A and 2B would each have the same floor area.

Grain Central reported that Zerra's application for the Western Downs Digital Park was lodged with Western Downs Regional Council on 20 August, with public submissions open until 11 November. The site is at Kogan, next to the gas-fired Braemar Power Station. Zerra says the first stage, the 360MW Building A, will run on grid power via Powerlink, with batteries added in later stages. Zerra says the halls will be air-cooled in a closed loop and Building A will need about 21,000 litres of water a day. Zerra also said Macquarie Capital is participating as a consortium partner and project and financial adviser.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told state Parliament on 16 September that Anthropic had signed an agreement for its first Australian data centre, with the site planned to come online in 2027. He said the project "must add energy generation to the grid and drive down power prices for Queenslanders".

Local opposition is building. Save Our Darling Downs spokesperson Liza Balmain described the project as "an energy-hungry monster" needing 2.16GW at full capacity. More than 24,000 people have signed an e-petition against the development, which closes on 1 March 2027 ahead of presentation to Queensland Parliament. Mayor Andrew Smith said the council will assess the proposal thoroughly, and that it was too early to say when a decision would come.

ADC is a small business by its own chief executive's account: Ross Du Vernet of Dexus called it "a small Australian data center business." Its website lists two operating Canberra data centres, with Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin in development. Du Vernet said ADC has "launched a fundraising process to introduce additional capital to the business, of which Dexus is yet to determine the extent to which it will participate". The next marker is financial close of the Anthropic project.