Groq brings high-speed AI infrastructure to Sydney with Equinix

Groq has announced the deployment of a 4.5MW high-speed AI inference facility within Equinix's Sydney data centre, designed to provide increased compute performance and lower costs for organisations in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region. This deployment aims to address rising demand for scalable, compliant, and sovereign artificial intelligence workloads across the public sector, enterprise, and developer communities.

Deployment details

The new Groq deployment utilises Equinix's International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre and leverages Equinix Fabric, a software-defined interconnection service. Groq states that its LPU Inference Engine can deliver up to five times the speed and cost efficiency compared to traditional GPU and hyperscaler cloud platforms, supporting low-latency, high-throughput AI inference workloads at scale.

Asia-Pacific organisations can connect securely to GroqCloud through Equinix's network of data centres. This setup is designed to ensure compliance with the region's data privacy and sovereignty regulations while providing on-demand access to advanced AI compute infrastructure.

Market context

Australia is experiencing rapid growth in demand for AI infrastructure. According to estimates from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian AI market could reach USD $315 billion by 2028. Increased focus on data sovereignty and regulatory compliance has driven a need for local, high-capacity infrastructure that can serve national interests and boost regional digital capability.

Government support

"The Australian Government is welcoming responsible data centre investment. We are continuing to work to attract more because we know this is required for a successful digital economy. Australia is a natural home for this type of world class capability. It is great to see investments that bring high-performance, cost-efficient AI tools to the region," said Hon Dr Andrew Charlton MP, Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, Australia.

Industry adoption

Cliff Obrecht, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Canva, described the effects of improved infrastructure on creative sectors. "We're entering a new era where technology has the potential to massively accelerate human creativity. With Australia's growing strength in AI and compute infrastructure, we're looking forward to continuing to empower more than 260 million people to bring their ideas to life in entirely new ways," said Obrecht.

Jonathan Ross, Chief Executive and Founder of Groq, pointed to global demand as a driver behind the latest expansion. "The world doesn't have enough compute for everyone to build AI. That's why Groq and Equinix are expanding access, starting in Australia," said Ross.

Regional strategy

Groq views Asia-Pacific as a strategic growth market. Scott Albin, General Manager, APAC for Groq, said the company already has over half of its developer base in the region. "Asia-Pacific is a key growth market for Groq, with over half of our global developers already using GroqCloud based here. Our deployment in Equinix's Sydney data centre is our first step to bring high-performance, cost-efficient AI inference closer to the region, enabling secure, low-latency access while supporting data sovereignty and privacy. Together, we're building the infrastructure to drive AI innovation and growth in Asia-Pacific," said Albin.

Infrastructure partnerships

Cyrus Adaggra, President, Asia-Pacific at Equinix, emphasised the company's role as a connectivity partner. "Groq is a pioneer in AI inference, and we're delighted they're rapidly scaling their high-performance infrastructure globally through Equinix. Our unique ecosystems and wide global footprint continue to serve as a connectivity gateway to their customers and enable efficient enterprise AI workflows at scale," said Adaggra.

Guy Danskine, Managing Director, Equinix Australia, added, "We are thrilled Groq selected Equinix Australia to serve organisations in the country and the broader Asia-Pacific region, bringing high-performance AI inference capacity closer to enterprises and governments. This collaboration highlights the power of Equinix Fabric in enabling secure, low-latency connectivity for AI workloads, helping organisations accelerate innovation while ensuring compliance with the local data sovereignty and privacy requirements."