Technology company Firmus is moving to address public concerns over its planned “AI factories” in northern Tasmania, according to a report from ABC News. The company is building one facility in the Launceston suburb of St Leonards and has proposed two more, one for Bell Bay and another for Wesley Vale.

In response to community concerns, Firmus co-CEO Oliver Curtis told the ABC that the facility planned for the former pulp mill site at Bell Bay would be “quieter than a library” for the nearest resident. The company’s plans have drawn criticism over the immense amount of electricity the data centres will require, along with concerns about noise and water usage.

If all three facilities proceed, Firmus would become Tasmania’s largest electricity consumer, requiring an estimated 400 megawatts of power, according to reports from ABC News. This would be more than the combined demand of every household in the state.

In March, Mr Curtis confirmed Firmus had secured a three-year deal with the state-owned retailer Aurora Energy for up to 104 megawatts of power from Hydro Tasmania for its Launceston site. The government stated this deal was struck at market rates, as reported by Pulse Tasmania. However, the scale of the energy deal has been questioned by the Tasmanian Greens and community members, particularly after other local industries were reportedly told there was no spare capacity.

The Singapore-based company has lodged its application for the Bell Bay site with the George Town Council, according to a report in Pulse Tasmania. The St Leonards facility, part of what Firmus calls “Project Southgate,” is already under construction and expected to be operating in early 2027.

Firmus states its AI factories are specifically designed for artificial intelligence models, which require significant computing power. The company and the Tasmanian Government have promoted the project as a way to turn the state’s renewable energy into jobs and innovation, positioning Tasmania as a global hub for “clean, scalable AI”.

For more on this story, see the original report from ABC News.