Infratil chief executive Jason Boyes said this marks another step change in the scale of Australasian data centre demand and an important milestone in CDC’s evolution. Photo / Jacques Steenkamp
Infratil chief executive Jason Boyes said this marks another step change in the scale of Australasian data centre demand and an important milestone in CDC’s evolution. Photo / Jacques Steenkamp
CDC Data Centres – half owned by infrastructure investor Infratil – says it has secured the largest data centre contract in Australia’s history, a 555 megawatt deal that takes its total contracted capacity to over one gigawatt.
The 30-year contract is with an as-yet-unidentified United States high-end investment-grade customer andis inclusive of renewal options of up to 20 years.
CDC expects earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and financial instruments (ebitdaf) to exceed A$1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the 2028 financial year and reach about A$2 billion when fully deployed.
The capacity will be delivered across CDC campuses that are already under development and will become operational over 2028 and 2029.
The 555MW equates to about 40% of operating capacity across all Australian data centres in 2025.
Infratil chief executive Jason Boyes said this marked another step change in the scale of Australasian data centre demand and an important milestone in CDC’s evolution.
CDC has two hyperscale facilities in NZ: One at Hobsonville (pictured), the other at Silverdale. The Hobsonville facility has recently been expanded to 76 megawatts (data centres are described by their peak power usage). Silverdale has a 22MW capacity. Photo / Chris Keall
“Today’s announcement underscores Australasia’s opportunity to attract global computing capacity, supported by regional stability, competitive build costs and access to renewable energy.
“This contract reflects the strong global track record CDC has established in delivering large-scale, future-proofed and sustainable data centre campuses, and consolidates its position as the largest data centre provider across Australia and New Zealand.”
CDC founder and chief executive Greg Boorer said the announcement highlights Australasia’s position as a preferred secure destination for large-scale intelligence generation.
“This is another massive tick of approval for Australia as a global hub for intelligence generation. We have been working hard for nearly 20 years preparing for this moment, and this is only the beginning of an era of prosperity and growth for Australia in this space.
“Today’s new contracts represent our largest ever contracting announcement, and the largest ever for Australia so far.
“The size and term of this agreement reflect the strongest vote of confidence in this region and in CDC’s differentiated offering, trusted customer relationships and large-scale development capability.
”With today’s announcement, CDC’s total contracted capacity exceeds 1GW and ebitdaf is expected to exceed A$1 billion in FY28."
When fully deployed, CDC’s total contracted capacity would deliver an annualised ebitdaf of about $2 billion.
CDC’s 2027 financial year ebitdaf guidance of A$680 million to A$720 million remains unchanged as the newly contracted capacity will become operational over FY28 to FY29.
CDC expects 2027 capital expenditure to be between A$3.8 billion and $4.2 billion, excluding land, as data centre construction lifts to meet market demand.
CDC shareholders contributed A$500 million in equity in February to support the acceleration of CDC’s construction programme.
The new contract is within CDC’s current growth plan and doesn’t require further shareholder equity.
CDC will fund its development programme utilising existing cash on hand and committed debt facilities, along with further debt and hybrid funding.
“This is a big win in terms of contracting,” Harbour Asset Management portfolio manager Shane Solly said.
“It is a boost, and Infratil’s share price should react positively because it’s a good outcome for investors.”
CDC is a leading developer, owner and operator of large-scale data centres across Australia and New Zealand.
Shares in Infratil rallied sharply on the news.
They last traded at $14.01, up $1.16 or 9% on Tuesday’s close.
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