Anthropic Signs First Australian Data Centre Lease for Planned Queensland Hub

Anthropic has signed its first Australian data-centre lease, taking space in the first building planned for Zerra DC's Western Downs Digital Park near Dalby, Queensland. The A$31.9 billion, 725.5-hectare campus is planned as four buildings, with Anthropic aiming to use capacity from 2027 for Claude inference rather than model training. The lease remains subject to Australian foreign-investment approval, while the wider project also needs council approval. Supporters cite jobs and new generation, while local leaders and residents have raised questions about power supply, cost and water use.