L-R: Joe Craparotta (Schneider Electric), Chris Thorpe (Leading Edge Data Centres), Kevin Smith (Ausgrid)
Data centre network provider Leading Edge Data Centres has started construction of a $19.6 million data centre in the Newcastle area.
The data centre is being built in Mayfield West and is in partnership with Ausgrid, who provided the land, electrical network access and fibre infrastructure for the project.
At the ceremony, CEO Chris Thrope said the construction was a “significant milestone for regional cities”.
“This is a great leap forward towards our Hunter project which will provide the same internet and direct cloud connectivity as any other metropolitan city,” he said.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the data centre was an example of the City of Newcastle’s Smart City Strategy plan, as it is planned to create 130 jobs in the region.
“This construction and expansion of IT infrastructure will support the local community, as well as provide new opportunities for economic growth for local businesses,” she said.
Rob Amphlett Lewis, Ausgrid chief customer officer, added that the energy provider was happy to support the project.
“It’s more important than ever before for our communities to be connected,” he said.
“By collaborating with our partners like Leading Edge Data Centres, Ausgrid not only ensures reliable power for customers, but also supports reliable access to the data their technology relies upon.”
The construction of the Mayfield West data centre comes as Leading Edge plans to expand across 14 areas in regional NSW over the next 12 months, with approval given by Newcastle Council for a data centre located at Newcastle Airport.
The data centre network provider also received $20 million in May to support its regional data centre rollout, none of which will go towards the Mayfield West data centre.
