Datagrid Builds $3.5B AI Factory Near Invercargill

Datagrid New Zealand received resource consent to build a 78,000 square-metre, $3.5 billion data centre in Makarewa, Invercargill, that will draw 280 megawatts and become the country's second-largest electricity consumer. Experts say the facility could process about 960 million ChatGPT conversations daily and will likely route outputs offshore via a subsea cable, prompting calls for national AI training to ensure domestic benefit.