Goodman Group, an Australian industrial property developer, has scrapped plans for a US$842 million data centre project, known as 'Project Mars,' located on Sydney’s north shore. The decision follows a period of intense public pushback against the proposed 24-hour facility.

In an official statement, the company noted that the regulatory landscape surrounding large-scale artificial intelligence data centres has changed substantially since the planning phase began in March 2025. Goodman Group indicated that it had taken both these evolving federal and state policies and the feedback from local residents into account before deciding to withdraw the development application entirely.

The project had faced scrutiny regarding its potential impact on the local area, though the specific nature of the community concerns was not detailed in the initial reports. By ending the application, the firm effectively halts a significant investment that had been intended to support the growing infrastructure needs of the AI sector in Australia. The company has not announced any alternative plans for the site at this time.