Garden Drive datacentre construction overview
December 5th, 2022
Breaking ground with community leaders at Melbourne datacentre sites
On December 5, 2022, Microsoft and our construction partners welcomed local community leaders to groundbreaking ceremonies at three of our Melbourne datacentre locations: Garden Drive, Cawley Road, and Woods Road. Together with our general contractors, Kapitol Group and BESIX Watpac, and our partners, AusNet Services, Aurecon, ERM, and Turner & Townsend, we honored members of the Hume Council, Maribyrnong Council, Wyndham Council, and Invest Victoria to these three sites to mark the commencement of construction.
Wurundjeri Traditional Owners opened the groundbreaking events with Welcome to Country (Tanderrum) and Smoking Ceremonies.
The Melbourne datacentres will help provide the physical infrastructure for the technology we depend on at work and in our personal lives. Cloud services play an increasingly significant role in our lives—enabling remote work and learning, global collaboration, and business continuity; supporting discovery and innovation; and importantly, powering critical life and safety services. Microsoft datacentres support a wide spectrum of crucial services in Australia, from the lifesaving work of doctors and first responders to essential services like groceries and online banking.
Microsoft has operated in Australia for 39 years, and we continue to invest in the region and the ecosystem of partners and technology providers we rely on to meet the demand of delivering fast, reliable, and sustainable cloud services.
Microsoft is committed to the long-term health of the communities in which we operate and where our employees live and work.
Garden drive datacentre ground breaking event, December 5th, 2022
October 27, 2022
Microsoft will enter into the next stage of construction (earthworks) for the Garden Drive datacentre in October 2022. The datacentre construction site is located in Tullamarine in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This phase involves installing cabling, which will involve works in public spaces and potential disruption to roads. Detailed communications will be provided to the impacted areas.
Why datacentres are needed
Datacentres provide the physical infrastructure for the technology we depend on at work and in our personal lives. Whenever you open an app on your phone, join a virtual classroom or meeting, snap and save photos, or play a game with your friends online, you are using a datacentre. Local businesses, government, hospitals, and schools rely on datacentres every day to deliver you goods and services.
Construction timeline
Datacentre construction will occur between October 2022, through late 2024.
Demolition of the existing buildings is now complete, and we are now commencing construction.
Together with our general contractor, BESIX Watpac, we will keep neighbours informed in advance of construction key events, including traffic mitigation plans, and will perform work within the hours detailed in our planning approval conditions. Should there be any significant disruptions, we will notify the local community to reduce potential impacts.
Staying connected
For construction related questions or concerns, please contact Durham Shaw from BESIX Watpac via email at dshaw@watpac.com.au or by calling, (03) 9649 2200
We will also update https://local.microsoft.com/communities/asia-pacific/australia/ with construction information as needed.
For questions about datacentres in general, contact us at MelDC@Microsoft.com
For media questions, contact the Microsoft Media Hotline: +61 2 8281 3830.
