MacTel avoids NextDC $1m proposal

Clarifies comments.

Macquarie Telecom chief David Tudehope has skirted the question of whether he intends to accept a $1 million bet proposed by Bevan Slattery over the future of the data centre industry.

Slattery – founder of new data centre builder NextDC – had challenged Tudehope to the wager over a comment that new entrants to the data centre industry could go out of business within three years.

Slattery told the Commsday Summit that the winner of the bet could select the charity to donate the million dollars to.

When contacted by iTnews, Tudehope did not directly respond to a question about the bet.

"During my speech, I stated that I believe there will be a glut of co-location supply due to new data centre builds which will overwhelm the increase in demand," he said in a statement.

"History would suggest that these conditions are likely to cause some simple co-lo builders to go out of business or be acquired."

Further comment was being sought on a definition of "simple co-lo builders" and who would potentially fit that description, and on the status of the bet itself.

A follow-up response had not been received at the time of publication.