Australia's data centre capacity is concentrated among a few large operators. AirTrunk and CDC Data Centres run the largest hyperscale campuses. NEXTDC has the largest national colocation footprint. Equinix and Global Switch focus on interconnection-dense facilities in the cities. DC Byte counts 162 operational data centres nationally. CommBank notes that only 3 of them exceed 100 MW.
Capacity figures on this page are each operator's own published figures. Operators measure capacity differently (IT load, total site power or planned capacity), so compare them with care.
Hyperscale Operators
Hyperscale operators build large campuses and lease whole buildings or halls to cloud and AI customers, usually on long contracts.
| Operator | Ownership | Australian campuses | Stated capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTrunk | Blackstone-led consortium with CPP Investments (acquired 2024) | SYD1 and SYD3 (Huntingwood), SYD2 (Lane Cove West), MEL1 (Derrimut), MEL2 (north-west Melbourne, announced) | "755+ MW" across Sydney and Melbourne on AirTrunk's Australia page; 1.2 GW across five sites including MEL2 in the December 2025 release |
| CDC Data Centres | Not detailed on CDC's location pages | Canberra (Hume One, Hume Two, Fyshwick, Beard), Sydney (Eastern Creek, Marsden Park), Melbourne (Brooklyn, Laverton), Perth (Maddington) | Canberra 250+ MW; Melbourne 780+ MW; Marsden Park 504 MW ICT |
| STACK Infrastructure | SYD01 Erskine Park (in planning) | 450 MW (planning application) |
Colocation Providers
Colocation providers lease racks, cages, suites and halls to many customers. Many are carrier-neutral, meaning customers can connect to multiple network providers.
| Operator | Australian facilities | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NEXTDC | 17 data centres across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Sunshine Coast and Pilbara | ASX-listed. Sydney: S1 16 MW, S2 30 MW, S3 80 MW, S6 13.5 MW, S4 365 MW (in planning and development), S7 (Prepare EIS). Melbourne M3 225 MW; M4 162 MW approved |
| Equinix | SY1–SY9x Sydney; ME1–ME2 Melbourne; PE1–PE3 Perth; BR1 Brisbane; CA1 Canberra | Interconnection-focused; SY9x xScale at Rosehill is 14 MW+, rising to 28 MW+ |
| Global Switch | Sydney East (Ultimo), Sydney West | Sydney East has 38 MW; 47 MW expansion filed |
| Macquarie Data Centres | Macquarie Park campus (including IC3 East and IC3 Super West) | Part of Macquarie Technology Group; IC3 Super West 47 MW |
| Australian Data Centres | Fyshwick, Canberra | Certified Strategic |
| iseek | Brisbane Airport, Woolloongabba | Queensland-focused |
| Polaris Data Centre | Springfield Central, Queensland | |
| Pier DC | Perth | 8 MW (RenewMap) |
Cloud Infrastructure Providers
| Provider | Australian regions | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | Sydney, Melbourne | A$20 billion, 2025–2029 |
| Microsoft Azure | Australia East (Sydney), Australia Southeast (Melbourne), Australia Central (Canberra) | A$25 billion to the end of 2029 (announced April 2026) |
| Google Cloud | Sydney, Melbourne | Not disclosed as a single figure |
| Oracle Cloud | Sydney, Melbourne | Not disclosed as a single figure |
Cloud providers build their own facilities (for example, Microsoft at Kemps Creek) and also lease capacity from the operators above.
Major Australian Data Centre Campuses
Largest campuses by stated capacity, operating or under construction:
| Campus | Operator | Location | Stated capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsden Park | CDC | Marsden Park, NSW | 504 MW ICT | Under construction |
| Brooklyn | CDC | Brooklyn, VIC | 350 MW+ on completion | Operating (BK1), expanding |
| Laverton | CDC | Laverton, VIC | 150 MW (2025) / 400 MW+ (CDC site) | Under construction |
| MEL1 | AirTrunk | Derrimut, VIC | Part of 630 MW+ Melbourne total | Operating |
| SYD1 and SYD3 | AirTrunk | Huntingwood, NSW | Part of AirTrunk Sydney portfolio | Operating |
| M3 | NEXTDC | West Footscray, VIC | 225 MW | Operating |
| Eastern Creek | CDC | Eastern Creek, NSW | 123 MW at launch; 108 MW expansion proposed | Operating |
Largest proposed campuses: Western Downs Digital Park (2.16 GW), Mamre Road (1 to 1.2 GW), NEXTDC S7 (612 to 650 MW).
Operators by City
| Operator | Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Perth | Canberra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| --- | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: |
| AirTrunk | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| CDC Data Centres | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NEXTDC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Equinix | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Global Switch | ✓ | ||||
| Macquarie Data Centres | ✓ | ||||
| Australian Data Centres | ✓ | ||||
| iseek, Polaris | ✓ | ||||
| Pier DC | ✓ |
City detail: Sydney · Western Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane · Perth · Canberra
Current Expansion Projects
| Operator | Project | Capacity | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTrunk | MEL2, Melbourne | 354 MW+ | Announced Dec 2025 |
| AirTrunk (reported) | Mamre Road campus, Kemps Creek | 1 to 1.2 GW | Amended SSD |
| CDC | Marsden Park | 504 MW ICT | Under construction |
| CDC | Laverton | 150 to 400 MW+ | Under construction |
| CDC | KC1, Kemps Creek | 144 MW | SEARs |
| CDC | Perth (Maddington) | Up to 200 MW | Stage 1 targeted 2026 |
| CDC | Beard, Canberra | 39 MW | Under construction |
| NEXTDC | S7, Eastern Creek | 612 to 650 MW | Prepare EIS |
| NEXTDC | S4, Horsley Park | 365 MW | Planning and development |
| NEXTDC | M4, Port Melbourne | 162 MW | Approved |
| STACK | SYD01, Erskine Park | 450 MW | More information required |
| Goodman | SYD01, Artarmon | 61 MW IT | Under construction |
| Goodman | Project Atlas, Eastern Creek | 500 MVA | Response to submissions |
| Macquarie DC | IC3 Super West | 47 MW | Opening slated Sep 2026 |
| Global Switch | Sydney East expansion | +47 MW | Application filed |
Full database: Australian data centre projects
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the largest data centre operator in Australia?
It depends on the measure. AirTrunk and CDC report the largest hyperscale capacity: AirTrunk states 1.2 GW across five sites including MEL2, and CDC's location pages add up to more than 1 GW across its regions including sites under construction. NEXTDC has the most locations nationally among colocation providers. Published figures mix operating, under-construction and planned capacity, so there is no single official ranking.
What is the difference between a hyperscale operator and a colocation provider?
Hyperscale operators lease large blocks of capacity (often whole buildings) to a small number of cloud and AI customers. Colocation providers lease smaller amounts of space and power to many customers and usually offer interconnection between networks.
Operator profiles
Each operator will have a standalone profile covering locations, disclosed capacity, current projects, sustainability commitments and publicly confirmed customers:
AirTrunk · CDC Data Centres · NEXTDC · Equinix · Global Switch · Macquarie Data Centres · STACK Infrastructure · Goodman
Supplying Australian Data Centre Operators?
Operators run long, repeat procurement programmes across their campuses. AISB helps suppliers identify the right operator accounts, understand where each is expanding, and build visibility before the next campus goes to market.
Sources & Verification
- AirTrunk: Australia locations. Link. MEL2 release. Link
- CDC: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne location pages. Link
- NEXTDC: Data centres. Link
- Equinix: Australia colocation. Link
- DCD: Global Switch Ultimo expansion. Link
- Macquarie Data Centres: IC3 Super West. Link
- Blackstone: AirTrunk acquisition. Link
- DC Byte: Forecast report, Apr 2026. Link
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