Macquarie Data Centres’ Plan for Sydney Tech Campus Revealed

Macquarie Data Centres has exercised its option to acquire a 34,200sqm site in Sydney for A$240m. 

The light industrial zoned land is located between Talavera Road and the M2 motorway within Macquarie Park. 

The operator plans to build an engineering and technology campus co-located with a 200MW data centre campus in Sydney's North Zone, an area designated as AZ1. The property transaction remains subject to standard settlement procedures and is expected to complete over the coming weeks.

The proposed facility has an estimated initial construction completion date of late 2029, pending planning and other regulatory approvals.

The project sits within a dedicated high-tech industrial zone in a fibre-rich technology corridor often referred to as Australia's Silicon Valley. Macquarie Technology Group has operated in the Macquarie Park community for 16 years. 

The campus remains in the design stage, providing an opportunity for prospective and existing enterprise customers to collaborate and incorporate their specific technical requirements into the initial build.

Direct liquid cooling and capacity

The proposed facility is engineered to handle the thermal requirements of modern compute workloads. The designs incorporate advanced air-cooling and closed-loop technology for primary heat rejection. This design methodology aims to minimise operational water consumption across the campus. The data halls will also be equipped to support high-density direct-to-chip liquid cooling alongside traditional air cooling to accommodate changing hyperscale hardware specifications.

These technical parameters will be refined based on power approvals and client needs as the development progresses. The substantial megawatt capacity reflects the physical infrastructure demands of emerging generative models and enterprise workloads.

“AI is reshaping the world and the economy, and it needs the right compute and data centre infrastructure to run it,” says David Hirst, CEO of Macquarie Data Centres. “All digital infrastructure that house Australian data and IP should be housed in sovereign data centres to ensure they are protected by local laws.

“For over 25 years. we've been the most trusted data centre provider, building and operating data centres in Australia. Our data centres house and protect the data for the world's biggest hyperscalers, neocloud, enterprises and 42% of the Australian Federal Government. 

“Our Intellicentre Super West is due for completion in September adding an additional 47MW of capacity to our existing Macquarie Park campus with this latest announcement, it will bring our total capacity at Macquarie Park to 265MW.”

Foundation partnerships

Building sovereign capacity requires coordination across multiple sectors and technical disciplines. 

The company expects to work with various stakeholders to bring the Macquarie Park project to fruition over the next few years. The scope of the engineering campus extends beyond basic colocation space, requiring specialised input from educational and civic organisations.

"Macquarie University is our foundation partner for the Macquarie Engineering and Technology Campus,” explains David. “Given we are still in the early stages of planning, and the dynamic, first-of-its-kind approach we are taking with this facility, we expect to work with a range of trusted data centre, construction, technology and community partners as the project progresses. 

“Collaboration will be critical to bringing together the expertise needed to deliver a world-class precinct that supports innovation, education, industry, and the local community. We look forward to announcing additional partnerships as plans are finalised.”

Practical learning pathways

The proposed campus will function as a direct link between academia and enterprise technology. The operator intends to establish clear routes for students and researchers to engage directly with live infrastructure. This initiative aims to provide experience in disciplines including engineering, cloud architecture and cyber security.

The strategy allows academic staff and undergraduates to observe how high-density environments operate at scale while bridging the ongoing technical skills gap within the sector.

“For over 16 years, we’ve been proud to support the Macquarie Park community through our United Way partnership, and with our new campus will support research, technology and learning opportunities in conjunction with Macquarie University,” David says. 

“The campus will provide practical, hands-on opportunities for students and researchers from Macquarie University to utilise latest data centre, cyber security, AI and cloud technologies, creating pathways for students and academics to have direct experience in technology and engineering in collaboration with industry. 

“In addition to that, subject to approvals our new campus will be built with our local community in mind, with plans to provide a more than one-acre sized intergenerational community park for the community to enjoy.”

Local community investment

The project includes concrete plans to convert a neglected portion of the current industrial site into a functional recreational space. 

The proposed park will span more than one acre and is intended to feature a large community garden accessible to residents of the City of Ryde. The multi-generational design aims to provide a dedicated green space within the high-tech zone.

The outdoor area will also incorporate an art gallery. This space is planned to exhibit creative work from local talent alongside Macquarie University faculty and students. The exhibits will highlight the history of the local area and its connection to country. This planned contribution builds on the operator's existing involvement in the region, which includes supporting early childhood literacy, graduate pathways and high school career planning.