Our Purpose

Large-scale compute capacity now operates at a scale where it directly interacts with regional energy systems, water resources, and long-term land-use planning. These interactions cannot be managed effectively through isolated projects or short-term development cycles.

The purpose of the Mills Network is to provide continuity across these interfaces. By acting as a coordinating body, the Network enables compute infrastructure to be planned, developed, and operated in ways that remain stable over decades rather than optimised for near-term expansion.

This role recognises that infrastructure durability depends as much on institutional alignment and operational discipline as it does on technical performance.

The Mills Network is responsible for establishing and maintaining shared standards across sites, jurisdictions, and operational contexts. These standards relate to site selection, energy integration, environmental stewardship, and long-horizon maintenance.

Rather than owning every asset directly, the Network coordinates activity across public authorities, energy providers, and operational partners. This model allows infrastructure to remain responsive to regional conditions while adhering to consistent system-wide principles.

The Network’s responsibilities are intentionally defined around stewardship and continuity, not optimisation of short-term throughput or utilisation.

Compute infrastructure at scale increasingly carries public implications, particularly in relation to energy demand, water use, and regional development. The Mills Network exists to ensure that these implications are addressed deliberately rather than incidentally.

By engaging early with regulatory bodies, utilities, and planning authorities, the Network seeks to align infrastructure development with broader system resilience and long-term public interest considerations.

This approach reflects the understanding that infrastructure legitimacy depends on predictability, transparency, and sustained engagement over time.

The Mills Network operates on planning horizons measured in decades rather than product cycles. While compute technologies evolve rapidly, the underlying infrastructure that supports them must remain reliable across successive generations of hardware and software.

The Network’s purpose is therefore not tied to any single technology, workload, or operator. Its mandate is to sustain the conditions under which compute capacity can continue to function predictably as part of wider regional and national systems.

Further detail on how this purpose is enacted in practice is set out under Operations Overview and Governance Overview.