Firmus Technologies Plans Three AI Facilities Across Tasmania

Firmus Technologies plans to build AI facilities at three Tasmanian locations: St Leonards near Launceston, Bell Bay in the north and Wesley Vale in the north-west. The company is already constructing its Project Southgate AI factory in St Leonards and has lodged development applications for the other two sites.

Abc reported that the facilities would require more than 400 megawatts of power, making Firmus the state's largest electricity user.

Tasmanian Energy Minister Nick Duigan confirmed the figure. Premier Jeremy Rockliff said on Thursday the state has sufficient power capacity to support the projects. He added that the company would pay higher rates than major industrial users, benefiting Tasmania's revenue, and described opposition as exaggerated.

Firmus co-CEO Tim Rosenfield told 936 ABC Radio Hobart the company will hold drop-in sessions and webinars. "We want to get together with the community and present and explain what we're doing," he said. " The company pledged to match its power use initially with renewable energy credits and to finance suppliers to build twice the renewable capacity it consumes.

It has completed one such deal in South Australia and is negotiating another with Hydro Tasmania. Tasmanian Greens technology spokesperson Tabatha Badger said residents feel inadequately informed. She questioned whether financing renewable projects falls within Hydro Tasmania's remit and noted that planning for new renewables has not begun.

University of Technology Sydney researcher Bronwyn Cumbo said the issue is not whether Australia needs AI facilities but how many are built and for what purposes. University of New South Wales researcher Amr Omar said no standard benchmark exists for comparing data centre energy and water reporting methods.