Leading Edge Data Centres breaks ground on Newcastle site

Leading Edge Data Centres has started construction on its new facility in Mayfield West in Newcastle, New South Wales.

The facility is the company’s first of eight across New South Wales, with more locations across Victoria and Queensland in the coming years.

Leading Edge DC is building a facility to house the rollout of 75-rack Edge Hubs, which will also be rolled out in the seven other NSW sites, including Tamworth, Parkes, Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Albury and Coffs Harbour.

Leading Edge DC chief executive Chris Thorpe said the groundbreaking event “is a significant milestone for regional cities”.

“This is a great leap forward towards our Hunter project which will provide the same internet and direct cloud connectivity as any other metropolitan city,” he said.

The company partnered with electricity distributor Ausgrid, who are providing the land, access to the electrical network and fibre infrastructure on the site.

Ausgrid chief customer officer Rob Amphlett Lewis said the company “is delighted to support” the project which is aligned to Ausgrid’s own business purpose of connecting communities and empowering lives.

“It’s more important than ever before for our communities to be connected,” Amphlett Lewis said.

“By collaborating with our partners like Leading Edge Data Centres, Ausgrid not only ensures reliable power for customers, but also supports reliable access to the data their technology relies upon.”

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes welcomed the opportunity for 130 new jobs in the Newcastle region.

“This construction and expansion of IT infrastructure will support the local community, as well as provide new opportunities for economic growth for local businesses. It’s another example of how the City of Newcastle is creating a smart, global city under the Newcastle Smart City Strategy,” Nelmes said.