Melbourne’s ‘Mordor’: Residents slam giant AI data centre towering over homes in quiet suburb
Residents in the Melbourne suburb of Yarraville have criticised a huge new data centre built by technology company NextDC, with locals nicknaming the facility "Mordor" after the fictional realm from The Lord of the Rings due to its imposing scale looming over nearby homes. The development, reportedly built near a marsh in the quiet residential area, has become a flashpoint for concerns about the rapid expansion of AI-related infrastructure encroaching on suburban communities.
Locals argue the structure is out of keeping with the character of the low-rise neighbourhood, towering over surrounding houses and altering the look and feel of the area. The complaints reflect a wider pattern seen in cities worldwide, where the boom in data centres needed to power artificial intelligence services is increasingly bringing large-scale industrial buildings into close proximity with residential streets, prompting pushback from nearby residents over their visual and environmental impact.
- Yarraville residents dub huge NextDC data centre "Mordor"
- Facility towers over homes in quiet Melbourne suburb
- Reflects wider concern over AI data centres near residential areas
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Melbourne's data centre boom has been rapidly gathering pace as tech firms race to provide the computing power needed for artificial intelligence services, which rely on vast warehouses of servers to process information. NextDC, an Australian company that builds and operates these facilities, is behind the site drawing attention in Yarraville, a suburb west of Melbourne known for its low-rise housing and quiet, close-knit streets.
Data centres of this kind are typically large, windowless industrial buildings designed to house computer equipment rather than people, and they are increasingly being sited near or within residential areas as demand for AI infrastructure grows. This has led to friction in various cities, as such buildings can dominate the skyline of areas previously made up of modest homes, raising questions about planning decisions, local consultation and how growing digital infrastructure needs are balanced against residents' everyday surroundings.
The Yarraville case is one example of this broader tension, illustrating how a global technology trend can have a very direct and visible effect on ordinary suburban life, even for residents with no connection to the tech industry itself.