A massive, cutting edge carbon-neutral data centre is slated to open in – of all places – Southland. Otago Uni have already signed up to be one of the facility’s major clients.
Despite what some Aucklanders may be thinking, there are actually some pretty good reasons for tech bros to choose our southern heartland. The chilly, rainy climate naturally cools the computer-heavy facility, while the nearby Manapouri hydropower station will supply it with the wattage it needs to process what very-real scientists have described as “a metric fuckton of data”. Despite these sensible advantages, some locals were confused at the prospect of tech transforming this staunchly static corner of Aotearoa. Eilish Kent, who grew up in the area, said that: ”when you think of Invercargill you think of farms, farmers, living the farmer life...you hear ‘Invercargill’, you think of places where you can buy fucking tractors… you don’t think of working at a data-processing place. You don’t tie those two together.”
More and more of our lives are being funnelled into large internet datasets: everything from browsing histories to Messenger chats and BeReal photos. To make sense of those numbers, massive facilities like this one will be more and more vital. Huge corporations overseas such as Microsoft use datacentres frequently, and the new station in Southland will be the first of its kind in Aotearoa – even if the location is hilarious. It is unknown if the newly-employed tech bros have ever encountered mountains of cow shit before, if they have ever slipped on a pair of gumboots, or if they will even be able to decipher the accents of their new neighbours.
Those waiting for a parade of bespectacled nerds to descend upon Southland may need to wait a while, though. Despite its gargantuan processing size, the centre’s only expected to employ six people. The promises of new jobs and economic windfalls for Southland rely mostly on the satellite industries expected to spring up around the new centre. Local student Jack Ruddenklau was still upbeat, though, saying that: “six jobs are better than no jobs,” and adding that the mild climate made Invercargill a “superb place” for a datacentre. “I wouldn’t care if they built a rocket pad in Invercargill,” said Jack. “I’m sure a rocket pad would be better than the number 8 wire.”
Once complete, the fully operational data station will be a massive boon to any industry reliant on large datasets, including the Uni. In theory, it will enable much faster communication with Scott Base in Antarctica, ensuring our hardworking ice scientists can play as hard as they work, by streaming Derry Girls in real time (see issue 6, 2022). The Uni’s head of IT infrastructure, Wallace Chase, was excited about the prospect, saying that they could start using it as early as 2024.
The centre is also located near a major undersea internet connection cable, allowing it to tap into what is essentially an artery of global digital communication. Remi Galasso, the CEO of Datagrid (the company behind the station), said that the new centre could interact with the planned 22,000km Hawaiki Nui subsea cable, which would link Aotearoa with Los Angeles, Hawaii, Singapore, and Jakarta. He said it would “create a new internet gateway in Dunedin”, which sounds like great news for gamers.
There’s optimism that this first Southland centre could be a real regional influencer: other developments, to be dotted across the rolling paddocks of the south, are already on the agenda. Perhaps in the future, curious tourists could be stopping for selfies in front of servers rather than sheep.