Two Sydney crypto bros find themselves stuck in small-town America
· Australian Financial ReviewJessica Gardner and , Zoe Samios
Oct 26, 2026 – 5.00am
Pittsburgh County could not believe its luck. It was December 2024, and an Australian data centre hopeful had rolled into town with promises of building a $US50 billion ($71 billion) data centre – with conditions.
Founded by Sydney brothers Daniel and William Roberts, Iren would build a giant plant – as powerful as all the data centres in Australia combined – outside Kiowa, a rural Oklahoma town of about 600 people. In return, it wanted the county to waive 85 per cent of property taxes for 25 years.
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Jessica GardnerUnited States correspondentJessica Gardner is The Australian Financial Review’s United States correspondent. She was previously deputy editor - news. Connect with Jessica on Twitter. Email Jessica at jgardner@afr.com
Zoe SamiosTechnology reporterZoe Samios covers technology from the AFR’s Sydney newsroom. She previously covered wagering and the business of sport. Send tips to @zoesamios.06 on encrypted messaging platform Signal or email zoesamios@proton.me. Connect with Zoe on Twitter. Email Zoe at zoe.samios@afr.com
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