AI Company's Plan to Use Irrigation Water Disappears After ABC Question

Firmus Technologies, an artificial intelligence company planning AI factories in Tasmania, has removed a statement from its website regarding the use of irrigation water for its facilities. The company had indicated it would likely use water from Tasmanian Irrigation, a state-owned company, for its proposed Wesley Vale AI factory, but noted that this was not yet agreed upon and fell outside their normal agricultural customer base.

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Not likely to use Tas Water for this site. They do not have [a] connection to this site. We will likely use Tas Irrigation, but we do not want to highlight this yet, as they are yet to agree to supply us, as we fall outside their normal customer base [agriculture] and they need legal approval to supply us.

Tasmanian Irrigation has clarified that it has provided no commitment to Firmus Technologies. A spokesperson stated that the company's legislative framework primarily supports water supply for agriculture and hydrogen production. Any applications from other industries would require government consideration and community engagement.

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Tasmanian Irrigation has given no undertaking to Firmus. Our legislative framework is set up to enable the supply of water for agriculture and for hydrogen production. Any application for water from industries outside of this would require consideration by the Tasmanian government and engagement with the community, including our customers.

Firmus Technologies had included a section in its "frequently asked questions" on its website stating, "We will likely use Tas Irrigation, but we do not want to highlight this yet, as they are yet to agree to supply us, as we fall outside their normal customer base [agriculture] and they need legal approval to supply us." The company also mentioned that the majority of water for cooling would come from rainwater capture.

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We have updated our Wesley Vale FAQs on our website to correct some internal information that was inadvertently published. We are focused on providing the Tasmanian community with clear and accurate information.

After the ABC contacted Firmus Technologies, this section was removed. The company stated that the information was "internal" and had been "inadvertently published," and that they are focused on providing "clear and accurate information." Firmus also said they had not yet made a formal request to Tasmanian Irrigation, emphasizing that rainwater harvesting and on-site storage are proposed as the primary water solutions.

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Rainwater harvesting and on-site storage are proposed as the primary water solution for the facility and have been designed to meet the project's operational requirements. Discussions regarding any supplementary water sources are separate to that pr