Case study

Connecting Country, Culture and technology at scale Kemps Creek, Sydney

Details

Client

Microsoft

Location

South Western Sydney, NSW Australia

Communities Involved

Cabrogal people of the Dharug speaking Nation of Sydney

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the Cabrogal people of the Dharug Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which the Kemps Creek Data Centre project is located. We pay our respects to Dharug Elders past and present, and recognise their enduring connection to Country, culture and community. We are grateful to those who shared their knowledge and perspectives throughout this project and acknowledge the responsibility of everyone involved to listen, learn and care for Country.

Overview

Critical infrastructure shaped through culture, Country and community knowledge.

Indigital partnered with Microsoft to lead the Connecting with Country process for its Kemps Creek Data Centre in Western Sydney.

While data centres power our digital future, they are also physical places built on Country. This project took a new approach to hyperscale cloud infrastructure by involving Dharug Traditional Custodians early in the development.

Over eight months, Indigital brought together 30 Dharug cultural leaders and knowledge holders through weekly conversations and a two day workshop on Country. Their stories, relationships, colours and symbols informed the site’s exterior artwork and landscape design.

Machine learning was used as a creative tool to explore community interpretations of Dharug resilience, guided by cultural knowledge holders.

The project demonstrates how meaningful engagement can create infrastructure that responds to Country, strengthens relationships and delivers value beyond the development itself.

Key components

Bring Traditional Custodians together to guide the Connecting with Country process and shape the development through Dharug knowledge, culture and relationships.
Use technology as a creative tool by applying machine learning to community-led interpretations of Dharug resilience, under the guidance of cultural knowledge holders.
Create space on Country for cultural leaders and knowledge holders to reflect on the past, understand the present and imagine the future of the site.
Build pathways beyond the development through education, leadership development and opportunities connected to future technology and the digital economy.
Embed culture within the built environment by incorporating Dharug stories, symbols, language, colours and perspectives into the exterior artwork and landscape design.

Video story

“I’m really proud of how we’ve come together in love and unity to create a lot of joy and understanding....the artwork we created captures all of that in a bundle that will be represented at the Kemps Creek data centre.”

Dharug Elder

Aunty Julie Jones

What makes this work unique

Country before design

The engagement began with Country, culture and relationships, not a predetermined design response. Traditional Custodians helped establish the cultural foundations from which the site could take shape.

Culture embedded in infrastructure

Dharug artwork, symbols, language and cultural perspectives were incorporated into the plans for the data centre, making Country visible within a major piece of digital infrastructure.

Dharug-led decision-making

Approximately 30 cultural leaders and knowledge holders contributed to the process, ensuring the creative and landscape outcomes were shaped through diverse Dharug voices and perspectives.

A relationship beyond the build

The partnership extended into digital skills, education and leadership development, including digital skills programs delivered across Western Sydney.

Culture guiding technology

Machine learning was used as a tool to respond to cultural knowledge shared by participants. The technology supported the creative process; it did not determine the meaning or direction of the work.

“We have a strong commitment to deep learning in Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing. In the spirit of collaborating and listening, Microsoft is proud to work with Indigital and Dharug Nation Traditional Custodians to reflect Indigenous connection to Country at our Kemps Creek Data Centre.”

Former Managing Director, Microsoft Australia and New Zealand

Steven Worrall

Outcomes

For community

The Cabrogal Clan and members of the wider Dharug Nation gathered together on Country. The first gathering of its kind at the site in more than 100 years.
Dharug knowledge, stories, symbols, language and interpretations of resilience informed the data centre’s artwork and landscape design.
Access arrangements were improved so Dharug community members could undertake cultural activities at the site.
Community members developed new knowledge of machine learning, digital art, NFTs and future technology careers.
Fifteen participants enrolled in governance training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Fifteen participants completed a Harvard course focused on leadership and power.
Microsoft supported Indigital digital skill program in 20 Western Sydney schools, reaching more than 500 students with cultural and digital learning.

For partners

The development team built stronger relationships with Dharug Traditional Custodians and gained a deeper understanding of what it means to build critical infrastructure on Country.
Community knowledge influenced the project’s landscape and exterior design before construction.
The Connecting with Country process supported the project’s response to the Government Architect NSW framework.
The community-informed design was approved by the government architect and incorporated into development plans.
The project established an approach that connects infrastructure development with cultural inclusion, community capability and longer-term opportunity.
Microsoft strengthened its relationship with the Dharug community through continuing education and skills initiatives.
The process established a model for grounding major infrastructure in Country while creating community value beyond the construction phase.

Find out more

Explore the wider Kemps Creek story.

Read Microsoft’s perspective on the Connecting with Country partnership, including how Dharug Traditional Custodians shaped the data centre’s artwork and landscape design.

You can also learn more about the data centre’s development, community investment and sustainability commitments on the Microsoft Local website.

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