Nvidia-Backed Firmus Inks Data Center Deal Pre-IPO

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

• •Firmus secured a US$10 billion debt financing facility led by Blackstone and Coatue in February 2026 to fund Project Southgate, its national AI Factory rollout using NVIDIA DSX reference architecture.[1][3][4][5]
• •The Melbourne data center contract deploys approximately 18,400 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs based on Grace-Blackwell architecture, marking Australia's first hyperscale AI factory.[4]
• •Firmus previously raised $330 million in September 2025 led by Nvidia and Ellerston Capital, achieving $1.9 billion valuation and unicorn status, and shifted from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure.[2]
• •Project Southgate targets 1.6GW total capacity across Australia, including a Tasmania campus with 36,800 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs online by late 2026 and AUD 4.5 billion initial Melbourne phase.[1][4][5]

🛠️ Technical Deep Dive

• •AI Factory platform uses NVIDIA DSX reference architecture and Grace-Blackwell GB300 GPUs for compute.
• •Co-design model integrates compute, proprietary energy-efficient cooling, power systems, and supply chain from outset, avoiding retrofits.
• •Melbourne site: 150 MW capacity with ~18,500 GB300 GPUs; Tasmania: greenfield renewable-powered campus with ~36,800 GB300 GPUs.
• •Infrastructure supports future NVIDIA accelerator generations without major redesign.

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

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