X2M partners with Resi Ventures for regional data centre build-out

Australian smart city technology firm X2M Connect is partnering with property developer Resi Ventures to develop integrated data centre and energy infrastructure precincts across regional Australia.

The partnership will see X2M’s AI-enabled platform deployed to manage energy and infrastructure systems across new data centre and multi-use precincts, beginning with the Miners Rest Renewable Energy Integration Precinct (MRREIP) near Ballarat in regional Victoria.

The MRREIP project is an integrated energy and data centre precinct located approximately 10 kilometres northwest of Ballarat.

It is expected to include a data centre with capacity ranging from 10MW to 100MW, alongside a battery energy storage system, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, an anaerobic biodigester, and connections to regional renewable energy sources.

X2M will also manage electricity, heating and cooling exchanges between the data centre and other precinct services leveraging the two spring lakes on the site.

The project requires customary regulatory and planning approvals.

The project is the first in a five-year agreement between the two companies that aims to provide a framework for expansion across multiple Australian locations.

X2M's platform aggregates data in real time and applies advanced analytics and automated control to optimise energy usage and performance, provide predictive maintenance and facilitates autonomous system responses through users’ AI -driven insights.

X2M has connected more than 500,000 devices across 89 enterprise and government customers globally, spanning water, energy, utilities and smart city applications.

“The Resi Ventures partnership represents a major opportunity to establish a foothold in an emerging infrastructure category,” said X2M chief executive Mohan Jesudason.

“Data centres have a fundamental energy management problem, and it is only set to grow as demand increases. Every megawatt of capacity depends on connecting and optimising a vast number of devices in real time. That is exactly what our platform is designed to do.”

“Regional Australia represents one of the most compelling and underserviced opportunities in the national data centre pipeline, and the tailwinds are only accelerating as AI-driven demand grows," Anthony Braunthal, cofounder of Resi Ventures, said.

“Beyond the economics, there is a real socio-economic story here - regional communities deserve the connectivity and jobs that come with this infrastructure. In X2M, we have found a world-class platform that can unify energy and data management at industrial scale. That combination of purpose-designed infrastructure and proven technology is what gives us genuine confidence in rolling out integrated energy and data precincts with X2M."