Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA, XETRA:NVD) is stepping up its Australian infrastructure push, partnering with some of the country’s largest data centre and cloud operators on plans to deliver up to 2 gigawatts of AI computing infrastructure by 2027.
The chip giant is working with Firmus, Sharon AI, IREN, ResetData, CDC, NEXTDC (ASX:NXT), Megaport and AirTrunk to develop infrastructure capable of hosting successive generations of Nvidia’s DSX AI factories.
Rather than building and operating the data centres itself, Nvidia will provide its DSX architecture, accelerated computing hardware, networking technology, software and ecosystem support, while its partners provide the power, land, cooling and physical facilities.
The scale of the proposal highlights how quickly the global AI boom is turning into an infrastructure and energy story - and puts Australian-listed data centre and connectivity companies firmly in the frame.
Australia joins AI infrastructure race
Nvidia describes its DSX platform as a full-stack architecture combining data centre infrastructure, computing, networking, software and reference designs.
The company said greater Australian capacity would allow local startups, universities, researchers and enterprises to train and deploy AI models domestically, while also positioning Australia to service growing Asia-Pacific and global demand for computing power.
Australia's attraction is increasingly about more than data sovereignty. Vast potential renewable energy resources, available land, established fibre infrastructure and political stability could make the country an important location for energy-intensive AI computing.
“AI factories turn energy into intelligence - the essential resource of the AI economy,” Nvidia vice president of global AI clouds and infrastructure ecosystem Raj Mirpuri said.
Nvidia believes the infrastructure could also allow Australian companies to build locally focused applications using its Nemotron open AI models.
Australian software giant Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM) is already using Nvidia technology to develop AI capabilities within its Rovo enterprise platform, while health technology company Heidi is using Nemotron models for clinical AI applications.
NEXTDC (ASX:NXT) and Megaport among beneficiaries
For ASX investors, two of the most obvious names in Nvidia's Australian ecosystem are NEXTDC Ltd and Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1)
NEXTDC is developing high-density, liquid-cooled facilities capable of accommodating Nvidia DSX-based AI factories.
The infrastructure requirements are considerable. Modern AI clusters need far greater power density and cooling capacity than traditional enterprise data centres, creating demand for facilities specifically engineered around GPUs.
Nvidia said NEXTDC's infrastructure was designed to provide the power, cooling, connectivity and physical systems required by increasingly compute-intensive AI deployments.
Megaport, meanwhile, is expanding Nvidia-powered computing capacity through its Latitude.sh subsidiary and combining it with its global software-defined networking platform.
Megaport has already committed heavily to the AI infrastructure opportunity. In June, the company said it had secured four AI infrastructure contracts worth about A$458.9 million in total contract value and planned to establish an on-demand GPU pool backed by A$350 million of investment.
Massive GPU deployments planned
Other partners illustrate the scale Nvidia is targeting.
Sharon AI plans to deploy as many as 68,000 Nvidia GPUs, connected using Nvidia Quantum InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Ethernet networking.
IREN, meanwhile, plans to apply Nvidia's DSX architecture to its Australian infrastructure portfolio, including its proposed 800-megawatt Bundey campus in South Australia.
CDC already operates more than 550MW of data centre capacity across Australia and New Zealand and has another 800MW under construction, according to Nvidia.
AirTrunk is similarly expanding high-density facilities equipped with direct-to-chip liquid cooling.
