Viridis Secures Approval for 1MW Tier III Data Center in Tasmania's Burnie

Viridis Secures Approval for 1MW Tier III Data Center in Tasmania's Burnie
April 9, 2026

Australian data center operator Viridis Green Data Centres has received development approval for a new 1-megawatt facility in Burnie, Tasmania, marking a strategic expansion into an underserved regional market. The project underscores the growing interest in diversifying data center geography beyond major capital cities to support edge computing and regional digital resilience.

The approved facility, slated to be operational by the first half of 2027, will be situated within Burnie's Central Business District. Designed to Tier III standards, the data center will occupy 1,215 square meters (13,078 square feet) and utilize energy-efficient free-air cooling technology. This development is notable as it introduces a significant data center presence to Tasmania's northern coast; current mapping services indicate no existing facilities in the immediate vicinity of Burnie, with most of the island state's limited capacity concentrated around the southern capital of Hobart.

Viridis, a provider focused on renewable-powered infrastructure with existing sites along Australia's East Coast including Townsville and Brisbane, is not alone in seeing potential in Tasmania. The move follows the Launceston City Council's approval last September for Firmus to develop a substantially larger 90MW data center in St Leonards, also in northern Tasmania. These parallel projects signal a broader industry trend of investing in secondary markets, driven by factors such as available land, potential for renewable energy integration, and the need for lower-latency infrastructure outside traditional hubs.

The 1MW Burnie facility, while modest in scale compared to hyperscale projects, represents a critical piece of infrastructure for local businesses and government services, enhancing data sovereignty and connectivity for the region. Its progression reflects the ongoing maturation of Australia's digital infrastructure landscape, as operators seek to build capacity in geographically diverse locations to meet evolving data demands.

Source: datacenterdynamics