Firmus has topped out the first of two 42MW data halls at its Launceston site in Tasmania, with primary cooling pipework already installed at the facility.

The Australian neocloud announced the milestone in a LinkedIn post, describing the structure as "the first of two 42MW halls." The second hall will match the first in capacity, bringing the Launceston project to 84MW once complete.

The company reported simultaneous progress in Indonesia. At its Batam data center, the first data hall has been handed over by Firmus' data center and construction partner, clearing the way for internal fit-out work to begin.

"In Indonesia, the first data hall has been handed over by our data center and construction partner, allowing our teams to begin installing HyperCube ahead of compute delivery and installation," the company said in its post.

Firmus uses HyperCube as its modular compute deployment platform. The Batam handover marks the transition from construction to systems integration at the site, which the company expects to house 170,000 GPUs.

What does the dual-track build mean?

Firmus framed the two milestones as evidence of overlapping workstreams across its supply chain. Manufacturing, construction, and deployment teams are operating in parallel rather than in sequence, shortening the gap between structural completion and compute delivery.

"This is what preparing to ship our HyperCube systems across Asia Pacific looks like: manufacturing, construction, and deployment teams working in parallel, across factories, oceans, and sites," the company said. "Thank you to our build partners and project teams for the work behind each milestone."

The approach matters for neocloud economics. GPU capacity that sits installed but unleased generates cost without revenue, so compressing the construction-to-compute timeline directly affects project payback periods.

How much capacity is Firmus building in Tasmania?

Launceston is one of three Firmus campuses in Tasmania:

• The Launceston project, now topping out its first 42MW hall, with a second 42MW hall planned.
• A 288MW campus in the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone in northern Tasmania.
• A 52MW facility in Wesley Vale, on the old paper mill site in Mill Park.

All three fall under Project Southgate, Firmus' initiative to build out capacity across Australia. CDC Data Centres previously participated in Project Southgate but has since stepped back from the partnership, leaving Firmus to advance the Tasmanian build-out on its own footing.

Combined, the Tasmanian sites represent more than 400MW of planned capacity, anchored by the Bell Bay campus as the largest single element.

Who takes the Batam capacity?

In Indonesia, Firmus is developing the Batam facility with partner DayOne. Meta is leasing capacity at the site, giving the project a committed hyperscale tenant alongside Firmus' own GPU deployment plans.

The 170,000 GPUs planned for Batam position the facility among the larger AI compute deployments in Southeast Asia. Batam's location, close to Singapore, has attracted data center investment from operators seeking proximity to major markets with lower land and power costs.

What comes next for Firmus and DayOne?

Both Firmus and DayOne are pursuing initial public offerings. The companies have not disclosed timelines or listing venues in connection with the construction milestones.

For Firmus, the IPO track runs alongside a capital-intensive build schedule spanning Tasmania and Indonesia. Delivering the second Launceston hall, fitting out the first Batam hall with HyperCube systems, and advancing the Bell Bay and Wesley Vale sites will test the parallel-delivery model the company described in its announcement.

The Launceston topping-out removes one variable. With the structure complete and cooling pipework in place, the remaining work at the first hall shifts toward mechanical, electrical, and compute installation — the phase where the Batam site now stands.