Perth is Western Australia's data centre market and Australia's western connectivity gateway. International subsea cables land there from Singapore and from Oman. The operating market is small: RenewMap tracks 14 operating WA data centre projects, the largest being NEXTDC's P2 at 20 MW. That is changing with CDC's planned 200 MW Maddington campus, a second 200 MW CDC proposal at Hazelmere, and a gigawatt-scale AI proposal in the Kimberley.
Two things set Perth apart from the east coast. It is not on the National Electricity Market, and it sits closer to Asia, the Middle East and Africa than any other Australian capital.
Perth Data Centre Market
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| WA data centre projects tracked | 21 (14 operating, 7 pipeline) | RenewMap, Sep 2026 |
| Total tracked WA capacity | 740 MW | RenewMap |
| Largest operating facility | NEXTDC P2, 20 MW | RenewMap / NEXTDC |
| Largest proposal | Project Meridien, Kimberley, 240 MW initial, 1 GW planned | ABC, Apr 2026 |
Demand comes mainly from the WA Government, the resources sector (mining, oil and gas, and their engineering contractors), universities, financial services and network operators. The resources sector's use of automation, remote operations and geological data processing gives Perth a customer base that other capitals don't have to the same extent.
Data Centre Operators
| Operator | Facilities | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NEXTDC | P1 Malaga (10 MW+, Tier III); P2 Perth CBD (20 MW+, Tier IV) | Managed interconnect between P1 and P2 (NEXTDC) |
| Equinix | PE1, PE2, PE3 (Shenton Park) | PE3 directly connected to subsea cable systems (Equinix) |
| CDC Data Centres | Maddington (stage 1 under construction per RenewMap); Hazelmere (development) | CDC's first WA campus |
| Pier DC | Perth | 8 MW (RenewMap) |
| Fujitsu | Malaga | Enterprise and government services |
| Telstra, Vocus | Network facilities | Carrier and enterprise services |
Operator profiles: NEXTDC · Equinix · CDC
Current & Proposed Projects
| Project | Location | Developer | Capacity | Stage | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDC Perth, Maddington | Maddington, 20 km south-east of Perth CBD | CDC Data Centres | Up to 200 MW | Construction (RenewMap); stage 1 targeted 2026 | 27 Sep 2026 |
| CDC Hazelmere | Hazelmere | CDC Data Centres | 200 MW (RenewMap) | Development | 27 Sep 2026 |
| GreenSquareDC WAi1 | WA | GreenSquareDC | 120 MW (RenewMap) | Development | 27 Sep 2026 |
| Project Meridien | South of Broome, Kimberley | Gingerah Energy | 240 MW IT initially; 1 GW planned | Environmental studies; EPA referral expected | 27 Sep 2026 |
CDC Perth (Maddington)
CDC announced in August 2025 its plans for what it called Western Australia's largest AI and advanced technology campus: up to 200 MW, a $415 million first stage, and operations from 2026. CDC says the campus will use liquid cooling for high-density compute and a closed-loop system with zero water consumption for primary cooling. It is aimed at government, research, defence, technology and critical infrastructure customers.
Project Meridien (Kimberley)
ABC reported in April 2026 that Gingerah Energy is planning an AI campus south of Broome, on Karajarri country, about 2,000 km north of Perth. Gingerah is a joint venture of the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association, Fugro and Longreach Capital Investment. Reported details:
- 240 MW of IT capacity initially, with a stated ambition of 1 GW
- power from wind, solar, batteries and natural gas
- closed-loop water recirculation instead of evaporative cooling
- construction from late 2029 or early 2030, with opening projected for 2032
It is at an early stage, with environmental studies under way.
Perth's Connectivity Role
Perth is where Australia connects westwards. Cables landing there give lower-latency routes to Singapore, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe than routes from Sydney. This matters for:
- carriers and content networks routing Australian traffic to Asia and EMEA
- cloud providers wanting a western diverse path for international traffic
- multinational companies with operations in both Australia and Asia or the Middle East
Subsea Cables
| Cable | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| INDIGO West | Perth to Singapore, via Jakarta | About 4,600 km; lands at Floreat Beach. Consortium: AARNet, Google, Indosat Ooredoo, Singtel, SubPartners and Telstra (Submarine Networks) |
| INDIGO Central | Perth to Sydney | Domestic leg of the INDIGO system |
| Oman Australia Cable (OAC) | Perth to Muscat, Oman | SUBCO's express route to the Middle East, with onward links to EMEA (iTnews) |
SUBCO has also announced a partnership with Google on new cable landing infrastructure in Australia. Because the cables concentrate at a small number of landing points, cable protection is a policy concern: two Perth cables were damaged in 2024.
More: Data centre fibre and connectivity
Energy & Power
Perth runs on the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), which is separate from the east coast's National Electricity Market. Key differences for data centre developers:
- Market structure. The Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) in WA includes a capacity mechanism, unlike the energy-only NEM. RenewMap notes this "unique capacity market structure".
- Network. Western Power owns and operates the SWIS transmission and distribution network. Large data centre connections are negotiated with Western Power.
- Forecasting. AEMO's NEM data centre forecasts, including the 2026 ESOO's 34 TWh by 2035-36, do not cover WA. AEMO publishes a separate WEM ESOO.
- Generation mix. WA's grid is moving from coal to renewables, storage and gas. The Kimberley proposal would sit outside the SWIS entirely and rely on its own generation.
More: Data centre power infrastructure in Australia
AI Infrastructure
Perth's AI capacity is at an early stage:
- CDC Maddington is designed for liquid-cooled, high-density AI compute and targets sovereign and defence workloads.
- Firmus Project Southgate's national expansion includes Perth among its planned locations, per Startup Daily.
- Project Meridien is a training-focused proposal, where distance from users matters less than access to land, power and cooling.
More: AI Data Centres in Australia
Construction
Perth's data centre construction market is smaller than Sydney's or Melbourne's. It relies on the same pool of HV electrical, mechanical and commissioning contractors that works on WA's resources and energy projects. That overlap is useful, because many WA contractors have mission-critical and hazardous-area experience. It is also a constraint, since resources projects compete for the same electricians and engineers.
Regional proposals such as Project Meridien raise remote-construction questions familiar from mining: workforce accommodation, logistics, and long-lead equipment delivery to remote sites.
More: Data centre construction
Suppliers
Categories most relevant to current WA activity:
- Electrical contractors for HV connections and switchgear
- Liquid cooling for high-density builds such as Maddington
- Energy and BESS for off-grid and hybrid proposals
- Fibre for subsea-connected and regional sites
- Environmental consultants for EPA referrals
Latest Developments
September 2026. RenewMap tracks 21 WA data centre projects with 740 MW of combined capacity. Source
20 April 2026. ABC reports plans for Project Meridien, a gigawatt-scale AI campus in the Kimberley. Source
13 August 2025. CDC announces its 200 MW Perth campus at Maddington. Source
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest data centre in Perth?
Among operating facilities, NEXTDC's P2 in the Perth CBD (20 MW+, Tier IV). CDC's Maddington campus, planned at up to 200 MW, will be much larger once built.
Why do subsea cables land in Perth?
Perth is Australia's closest major city to Singapore, South Asia and the Middle East. Cables such as INDIGO West and the Oman Australia Cable land there to provide lower-latency western routes.
Is Perth on the national electricity grid?
No. Perth and the south-west of WA use the South West Interconnected System, which is separate from the east coast National Electricity Market and has different market rules.
Supplying WA Data Centre Projects?
WA's data centre pipeline is growing from a small base, and early relationships with developers count. AISB helps WA contractors and suppliers identify target accounts and build visibility with the companies behind these projects.
Sources & Verification
- RenewMap: WA data centre projects, Sep 2026. Link
- w.media: CDC Perth campus, 13 Aug 2025. Link
- ABC News: Project Meridien, 20 Apr 2026. Link
- NEXTDC: Perth data centres. Link
- Equinix: Perth data centres. Link
- Submarine Networks: INDIGO. Link
- iTnews: Oman Australia Cable lands in Perth. Link
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