Anthropic, the American company behind the large language model Claude, has signed a lease for its first datacentre in Australia. The facility will be built in western Queensland, specifically in the Western Downs region near Dalby, north-west of Toowoomba. The project, known as the Western Downs digital park, will be developed by Singapore-based firm Zerra DC and is expected to open next year at a reported cost of $31.9 billion. The datacentre will be connected to the Braemar power station, which relies on coal for energy generation. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced the decision in parliament, highlighting the state’s advantages such as energy security and a streamlined approval process for such projects. Crisafulli stated that he had met with Anthropic during a trade mission and emphasized why Queensland is an attractive location for investment. He called the deal a “massive show of confidence” in the state and said it would create jobs and strengthen Queensland’s energy grid. However, the state government and the Northern Territory previously rejected a federal initiative that would have required new AI datacentres to use renewable energy. Queensland claims it has secured an exemption from the national agreement, allowing it to use coal-powered generators to supply energy to the datacentre. Premier Crisafulli praised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for allowing Queensland to “chart its own path for power supply.” He emphasized that datacentre development must contribute to the state’s energy grid, lower power prices, protect local water resources, and respect the communities where they are built. He also noted that communities will have a say in the process, similar to how they are involved in other infrastructure projects like wind farms and solar installations. Meanwhile, the federal government is considering a proposal that would grant AI companies default access to the works of Australian creatives, such as writers and artists. Independent Senator David Pocock criticized the proposal, saying it would “throw creatives under the bus” in exchange for funding for datacentres. Separately, Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, has called for a slowdown in AI development due to growing concerns about the potential risks and impacts of artificial intelligence.