On Better Data Centres
It was a treat to join the Better Data Centres panel (hosted by the good folks at Greenhouse) to talk about the physical infrastructure underlying AI growth.
Everyone seemingly has an opinion on data centres (the Carbon Zero Initiative is no different), and we’ve been working through this issue in collaboration with unions, industry, communities and civil society.
I got to speak about CZI’s public interest principles for data centres. Our idea in convening these was simple; Australia is about to see a surge in digital infrastructure, driven largely by artificial intelligence. If that growth is inevitable, the question becomes how we shape it, and we saw that much of this conversation was already happening outside the public sphere.
We’re delighted the principles have helped spark those conversations. At CZI, we observe that the principles really distill down to three pillars:
Clean energy. New digital infrastructure should expand the supply of renewable energy, not compete with households and industry for limited capacity.
Smart location. Many current proposals cluster around existing urban load centres, even though Australia’s best renewable resources — and available land — sit elsewhere. Aligning compute with energy geography is an obvious opportunity.
Public benefit. These facilities rely on publicly funded infrastructure — grids, water systems, transport networks. That means communities should see tangible benefits in jobs, training, and regional development.
These aren’t really controversial, and they’re not necessarily designed to slow the industry down. Australia has a real opportunity to capture investment in the next wave of digital infrastructure. But if that growth is going to support the energy transition rather than strain it, the framework matters.
Some other highlights:
Hearing about OpenFacts’ project to report transparent, value-neutral information, and the importance of reducing opacity.
How Barossa Green is leading the way in sustainable data centres with energy storage and water cooling systems.
There’s amazing work being done in this sector and across industries. CZI is lucky to be a part of it.
