New Zealand energy company North Rakaia Ltd has entered into an agreement with Taiwan’s Mobii Green Energy Group to build the world’s first green hydrogen-powered AI data centre. The project involves the development of 850MW solar farms, 300MW wind farms, green hydrogen production, and 750MW AI data centre campuses in Canterbury, all powered by 100% renewable energy.
The first phase of the project includes a $2 billion investment, marking the initial implementation of Mobii Green Energy’s Global Green Hydrogen Intelligent City (Green HI-City) initiative. The agreement was signed at Selwyn District Council by Mobii Green Energy chairman Kenny Tseng and North Rakaia Ltd founder Yali Li, with Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton witnessing the event. Broughton noted that this represents one of the largest data centre investments in New Zealand’s history, with the potential to drive innovation in green energy, AI, and create significant employment opportunities.
In collaboration with global leaders, Mobii Green Energy will partner with Super Micro for Nvidia GB200 liquid cooling solutions, VNET for data centre construction and operations, TSTI for system integration, and Google for cloud computing services. The project will focus on establishing a modular, container-based green hydrogen computing centre, expected to reduce data centre construction time by two years, while addressing power supply concerns with 100% green energy.
Mobii Green Energy will license its patented green hydrogen technology, and the two companies will jointly create a project entity responsible for construction, maintenance, operations, and research. The initial phase will focus on solar and wind power generation and building a computing centre equipped with 5120 H100 servers. North Rakaia Ltd, along with its sister company, will provide land and 1.15GW of green power while managing green hydrogen production and the construction of hydrogen power plants.
As part of the deal, North Rakaia Ltd will also invest $25 million in Mobii Green Energy’s pre-A funding round, securing exclusive collaboration rights in New Zealand. The project aims to reduce New Zealand’s reliance on gas and coal for peak power generation and support the country’s carbon-zero goals. Plans include developing a dedicated port for exporting green hydrogen.
North Rakaia Ltd emphasises that the partnership will not only accelerate New Zealand’s green energy transition but also enhance local AI infrastructure and AI-powered agriculture. The hydrogen-powered data centre is expected to position New Zealand as a global AI innovation hub, attracting top talent and technology, and contributing to global food security with low-cost, high-quality food for the future population.
