Three named Auckland facilities
CDC publicly identifies Silverdale One at 22MW, Hobsonville One at 22MW and Hobsonville Two at 54MW.
Sovereign compute · FULL DEEP TRACKER
CDC Data Centres New Zealand
A living evidence file tracking CDC’s delivered Auckland capacity, regional pipeline, capital backing, AI readiness, operating footprint and proposed 250MW Stratford expansion.
OPERATING + EXPANDING
Auckland · Taranaki concept
CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED
Updated 30 August 2026
NAMED OPERATING CAPACITY
98 MW
AUCKLAND REGION CLAIM
220 MW+
STRATFORD CONCEPT
250 MW IT
INFRATIL OWNERSHIP
49.72%
WHY IT MATTERS
Strategic significance
CDC is the clearest operating benchmark against which proposed New Zealand hyperscale projects can be tested. Its delivered capacity, customer demand, energy performance and campus expansion reveal whether New Zealand can convert infrastructure advantages into a durable AI and cloud economy.
CURRENT ASSESSMENT
An operating platform with a larger development story.
CDC has three specifically named operating facilities in Auckland: Silverdale Campus One at 22MW, Hobsonville Campus One at 22MW and Hobsonville Campus Two at 54MW. That totals 98MW of named operating capacity. CDC’s separate 220MW-plus Auckland regional figure therefore includes capacity beyond those named operating facilities and should be treated as a regional portfolio or pipeline measure, not current delivered load.
CDC also reports that its New Zealand operation renewed Toitū Enviromark Diamond certification for a fourth consecutive year in August 2026. This strengthens the evidence for an embedded environmental-management system, but it does not replace facility-level disclosure of electricity demand, hour-by-hour emissions, utilisation or the future Stratford project’s impacts.
The central intelligence question is no longer whether CDC can operate hyperscale infrastructure in New Zealand. It is how quickly the gap between 98MW of named operating facilities, the 220MW-plus Auckland regional position and the proposed 250MW Stratford project converts into commissioned and contracted compute capacity.
EVIDENCE GATES
What is confirmed—and what remains open.
98MW named versus 220MW-plus region
The larger regional number cannot be presented as current operating capacity without further facility-level disclosure.
NVIDIA certification achieved
CDC is the first hyperscale provider with DGX-Ready certification in New Zealand, but certified Australasian capacity is not disclosed by country.
Infratil owns 49.72%
Infratil reports substantial CDC group operating and construction capacity; those group figures must not be mistaken for New Zealand-only capacity.
Renewable matching, water efficiency and Diamond certification
CDC reports FY26 electricity matched with renewable supply, WUE below 0.02 at portfolio level, near-zero ongoing cooling-water draw and renewed Toitū Enviromark Diamond certification across its New Zealand data centres for a fourth year.
Auckland contracted load undisclosed
No reviewed public source establishes facility-level utilisation, tenants, contracted MW or ramp dates for the entire 220MW-plus region.
Stratford 250MW IT project
Contact and CDC intend to seek consent, but both state that neither party has committed to construct the facility.
Stratford anchor tenants and finance
The project depends on anchor tenants, approvals and project finance, with design and customer engagement still underway.
CAPACITY RECONCILIATION
Do not treat unlike numbers as equivalent.
Operating capacity
22MW Silverdale + 22MW Hobsonville One + 54MW Hobsonville Two.
Auckland capacity
A broader regional figure that includes capacity not yet reconciled to the three named operating facilities.
Stratford IT load
Approximately 350MW total peak load including ancillary systems, subject to final design and investment gates.
DELIVERY & OPERATING STACK
The layers behind the headline.
Silverdale Campus One
22MW operating
CDC expects the campus to grow to more than 60MW in the period ahead.
Hobsonville Campus One
22MW operating
Named operating facility connected through the Auckland electricity network.
Hobsonville Campus Two
54MW operating
Second campus in the Hobsonville precinct; facility-level customer load is not disclosed.
AI infrastructure
DGX-Ready
Certification supports high-density AI workloads but does not evidence contracted New Zealand GPU demand.
Electricity
Renewable matched
CDC reports all FY26 electricity consumption matched with renewable electricity; physical marginal supply impacts remain a wider grid question.
Cooling water
Closed loop
CDC reports a one-time 190,000-litre fill across Silverdale and Hobsonville and continuous recirculation.
Stratford power
250MW IT / ~350MW total
Proposed long-term supply supported by new generation, batteries and an existing connection; no construction commitment yet.
Stratford project
Pre-consent
Activities are limited to consenting, design, customer engagement and development planning.
VERIFIED TIMELINE
Key milestones and status changes
- Nov 2022 CDC opens initial Silverdale and Hobsonville hyperscale facilities; Transpower later records their large-load connections.
- 2024–25 NIWA places Cascade compute and Rapids archive across CDC’s Hobsonville and Silverdale sites for resilience.
- 2025 CDC achieves NVIDIA DGX-Ready certification across Australia and New Zealand.
- FY26 CDC reports 100% renewable-electricity matching and portfolio WUE below 0.02.
- 10 Aug 2026 Contact and CDC announce exploration of a 250MW IT-load data centre at Stratford, Taranaki.
- Aug 2026 CDC reports renewal of Toitū Enviromark Diamond certification across its New Zealand data centres for a fourth consecutive year.
STAKEHOLDER MAP
Who shapes the outcome
- CDC Data Centres, founder and management
- Infratil, holding 49.72% at the FY26 reporting date
- Other CDC investment partners, including Australian sovereign capital
- Vector and Transpower for Auckland network and transmission interfaces
- Contact Energy for the Stratford concept
- Government, research, education, cloud and critical-infrastructure customers
- Auckland and Taranaki communities and consenting authorities
DEPENDENCIES
What must align
- Reliable high-capacity electricity connections and new generation
- Fibre diversity, domestic backhaul and international cable capacity
- Sustained hyperscale, public-sector and AI customer commitments
- Planning, construction and specialist operations workforce
- Anchor tenants, approvals and project finance for Stratford
- Clear facility-level disclosure to distinguish operating, construction and future capacity
RISKS & OPEN QUESTIONS
What is not yet resolved
- The 220MW-plus Auckland regional figure is materially larger than 98MW of named operating facilities and is not fully reconciled publicly
- Group-wide operating, construction and contracted capacity figures can be incorrectly attributed to New Zealand
- Customer identities, contracted MW and utilisation are commercially confidential
- Renewable matching does not by itself show marginal generation or hour-by-hour carbon intensity
- Stratford is a concept project and may not proceed without tenants, consent and finance
- Large new loads can affect grid investment, system flexibility and wholesale electricity outcomes
CORE EVIDENCE REGISTER
Primary and supporting sources
01
CDC Auckland facilities and capacity
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02
CDC NVIDIA DGX-Ready announcement
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03
Infratil 2026 annual report
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04
Infratil digital portfolio and CDC ownership
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05
Contact and CDC Stratford announcement
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06
CDC closed-loop water and New Zealand sustainability
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07
Transpower 2025/26 transmission charge evidence
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08
CDC: fourth consecutive Toitū Enviromark Diamond certification
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