GreenSquareDC signs Multiplex for data centre build

WA data centre outfit GreenSquareDC has announced that Multiplex will be building its WAi1 facility, a 96MW data centre that’s aiming for net zero carbon emissions.

Artist's impression of WAi1
GreenSquareDC

GreenSquareDC’s green claims include replacing fossil fuel diesel with renewable diesel for backup generation, certified 100 percent green power, and an onsite microgrid providing resilience and redundancy.

The company said it also aims to use a groundwater cooling loop to eliminate wastewater from its cooling, which saves both cost and emissions compared to traditional cooling towers. This would be similar to the cooling setup at CSIRO’s Pawsey Centre supercomputer.

Green hydrogen and/or fuel cells are under consideration for future phases of WAi1.
GreenSquareDC claimed it is targeting a Power Usage Effectiveness of 1.1. 

Commonwealth government data puts the average data centre at a PUE of 2.5, with “state of the art” DCs achieving 1.5.

WAi1 targets “customers seeking to bolster their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, lower their Scope 1 to 3 emissions, and achieve cost savings within a highly resilient and flexible AI-enabled cooling environment”, GreenSquare DC said in a media release.

The project is being built on a 40,000 square metre block in Belmont, halfway between the Perth CBD and Perth airport.

There will be two 48MW buildings, with approval to expand to 150MW, and the company is also planning a 200MW wind and solar farm at East Hyden.

The end result, the company hopes, will be a data centre supporting AI and HPC workloads, at a lower cost than traditional DCs because of its low power consumption.

GreenSquareDC claims benchmarking suggests its facility will be around $55 million a year cheaper to run than a typical Sydney data centre.

According to founder and CEO Walt Coulston: “GreenSquareDC is committed to providing highly sustainable, affordable, and scalable AI-ready data centre solutions to hyperscale, government, and wholesale customers who share a common goal of combating climate change.

“Together, Multiplex and GreenSquareDC aim to help customers overcome their Scope 3  emission challenges by constructing the project using low carbon concrete and other sustainable materials, dramatically reducing embodied carbon and removing thousands of tonnes of Co2 from the environment in the process.”

Coulston noted that the federal government has mandated that companies report their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions from 2024.