Data centres, often appearing as unremarkable warehouses, are the critical infrastructure powering the internet and the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry. In Australia, the push for new data centres has intensified, with state and federal governments and the tech sector advocating for rapid construction to supplement the roughly 160 existing facilities nationwide.
Community Opposition and Environmental Concerns
However, local communities from Perth to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains are increasingly opposing new developments. Their concerns include the vast amounts of water and energy consumed by data centres, noise pollution from constant operation, large land requirements, potential upward pressure on inflation and power prices, and a lack of transparency and community involvement in planning processes.
In response, the Australian Greens have called for a moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centres. Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young, who chairs the federal parliamentary inquiry into AI and data centres, stated: “A moratorium is needed until we get the regulations right.”
Expert Opinions on a Moratorium
When asked whether Australia should pause building new data centres, five experts provided their views. Three out of five supported a pause. Bronwyn Cumbo, who receives funding from the Australia Public Policy Challenge Grant for research on sustainable data centre hubs in New South Wales, is among those advocating for a temporary halt. Ehsan Noroozinejad, Michael Vardon, and Tamika Worrell declared no competing interests, while Olivia Shen works for the United States Studies Centre, which has previously received Australian Government funding for AI policy dialogues.
Key Statistics and Impacts
Data centres are major consumers of resources. According to industry estimates, a single large data centre can use as much electricity as a small town and millions of litres of water daily for cooling. With AI workloads growing, energy demand from data centres is projected to increase significantly, potentially straining Australia's energy grid and complicating emissions reduction targets.
The debate highlights a tension between technological advancement and sustainable development. As the federal inquiry continues, the call for a moratorium reflects growing unease about the unregulated expansion of data centre infrastructure.
