Nvidia-Backed Firmus to Build 170,000-GPU AI Data Centre on Batam
Source: Tech Wire Asia
Australian AI infrastructure firm Firmus Technologies is partnering with Nvidia and Singapore-based DayOne to build a 360MW AI factory campus on Batam, Indonesia — just across the strait from Singapore. The facility will house up to 170,000 Nvidia GPUs and is slated to begin operations in Q1 2027, targeting AI-native cloud customers across Southeast Asia.
Australian AI infrastructure company Firmus Technologies is preparing to build a massive 360MW AI data centre on the Indonesian island of Batam, just 20 kilometres from Singapore, in a partnership that underscores the region’s growing role as a global AI compute hub. The project involves Nvidia infrastructure and Singapore-based data centre developer DayOne, marking Firmus’ first entry into Indonesia.
Batam sits within the Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia growth triangle, giving it proximity to Singapore’s established data centre ecosystem. The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore has laid out a Green Data Centre Roadmap targeting at least 300MW of additional capacity in the near term, with more tied to green energy — making Batam a natural overflow location for AI infrastructure serving the Singapore market. DayOne, backed by Coatue Management and SoftBank, is constructing the facilities while Firmus will install and operate the Nvidia-powered compute infrastructure.
The eight-year agreement covers delivery of 170,000 graphics processing units from early 2027 to early 2028. Firmus expects to generate up to US0 billion in revenue during the first six years of operations, based on committed customer agreements. Unlike Firmus’ Australian projects aimed at hyperscalers, the Batam campus will serve AI-native customers — smaller and mid-sized companies building products that depend heavily on AI computing capacity.
Singapore-based DayOne’s involvement is significant: it positions Singapore-adjacent Batam as a strategic node in the region’s AI infrastructure supply chain. The project also highlights how South-east Asian data centre capacity is expanding beyond Singapore’s borders, as land and energy constraints push large-scale AI compute facilities into neighbouring industrial zones. Firmus co-CEO Tim Rosenfield described the facility as a way to level the playing field, giving emerging AI firms access to infrastructure that has traditionally been reserved for hyperscale cloud customers.
Why it matters for Singapore: The Batam AI factory creates a de facto extension of Singapore’s data centre corridor, with local firms like DayOne playing a central role. For Singapore-based AI startups and enterprises, it means access to one of South-east Asia’s largest planned GPU clusters within 30 minutes’ travel time — potentially easing compute bottlenecks that have constrained local AI development while keeping the infrastructure governance within reach of Singapore’s regulatory framework.