Vocus plans $343 million Sydney-Melbourne fibre link to meet AI demand

Macquarie-backed Vocus plans to invest around A$500 million ($343.50 million) to build a fibre network route between Sydney and Melbourne to meet the rising AI-driven data centre demand, the company said on Tuesday.

The route, which Vocus said will ‌be ⁠the country’s ⁠first ducted long-haul network, will be ready by 2029 and create more than 1,000 jobs. Ducted networks carry fragile underground cables in protective conduits.