A massive data centre in Southland is moving ahead after receiving multiple resource consents from local authorities. Datagrid, the company building the data centre, has now signed a 140MW electricity option contract with Mercury to help power their 280MW “AI factory”, which is currently scheduled to open in 2028.

Datagrid’s ultimate goal is to expand the facility to a 1GW data centre. For comparison, New Zealand’s total electricity load currently sits at roughly 5GW.

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