NEXTDC unveils Adelaide's first Tier IV data centre, A1

Data centre provider NEXTDC has launched its first Tier IV data centre in Adelaide, a facility designed to accelerate the digital transformation of government and business sectors in South Australia. Named A1, the newly opened data centre, located within Adelaide’s city grid, aims to bolster the technological infrastructure in the region.

A1 possesses a target capacity of 5MW and approximately 3,000 square metres of IT space. As a next-generation data centre, the facility is expected to support various industries including government, defence, space, health, mining, and resources. The centre’s design includes features such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) Certification and a 100% Uptime guarantee to ensure secure, low latency access to a national ecosystem comprising over 750 global cloud and digital service providers.

Craig Scroggie, CEO of NEXTDC, emphasised the significance of the A1 facility, stating, "The A1 facility is Adelaide’s first Uptime Institute Tier IV-certified data centre which will play a pivotal role in accelerating digital innovation and preparing South Australia to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution powered by the development and adoption of AI."

The centre is set up to offer high-density power, liquid cooling, and diverse connectivity, which will be crucial for sectors including aerospace, defence, and mining. As global tech companies extend their presence to Adelaide, A1 aims to provide AI-certified, trusted critical infrastructure to bolster their innovation efforts while making South Australia more attractive for investment.

South Australian Treasurer, Stephen Mullighan, noted the facility’s importance, saying, "NEXTDC's A1 represents a key advancement for South Australia's digital economy, providing numerous large-scale investment opportunities for local and global organisations seeking to leverage our state as a platform for economic growth, innovation, and development."

Mullighan added, "The South Australian business and government sectors will be able to substantially improve the resilience of their digital products and services offered to citizens, customers, and partners, further strengthening our Digital Strategy to enable every South Australian to live and thrive in the digital world."

Invest SA Executive Director, Chris Wood, highlighted the economic value of the new data centre, "The team at Invest SA has worked with NEXTDC for several years to support the company’s investment into South Australia, and it is exciting to see this state-of-the-art data centre come to fruition. The data centre will underpin South Australia's critical technologies ecosystem and expand the state's digital infrastructure, helping us to make our economy more complex while creating important jobs for South Australians."

Additionally, NEXTDC is collaborating with leading Australian fibre network provider Vocus at the A1 facility, enhancing Vocus’ fibre network capability from Adelaide to Melbourne, Perth, and Darwin to meet the growing demand for cloud computing and AI technologies. Ellie Sweeney, CEO of Vocus, said, "Digital infrastructure plays a critical role in the success of every business, and I am delighted to be strengthening our partnership with NEXTDC to advance South Australia's digital economy."

The A1 Adelaide data centre also involves several organisations as Foundational Partners in the Digital Ecosystem, including Aussie Broadband, New Era Technology, GSL Networks, Sygnite, Unibeam, and NetVault. Brian Maher, CEO of Aussie Broadband, expressed his support for the new facility, "The expansion of A1 will provide Aussie Broadband with another point of presence within the growing Adelaide metropolitan area, offering us the potential to further scale our fibre and network footprint in the area."

The technical specifications of A1 Adelaide include a 5MW power capacity, 2,922 square metres of technical space, a 100% Uptime guarantee, a capacity for 1,470 racks, and a Mission Critical Operations Space (MCX).