Data Centers don’t provide much for Australia – not many jobs, the data has not local aspect or need, profits go offshore. Yet they gobble up electricity and water.
The operators are of course going to every country in the world with decent internet pipes, and trying to get the most favourable deals. They have many countries to choose from and the winner will be the country that benefits the least.
But, AI is shiny, and the concept of “foreign investment” can be seen as a positive news story – the government is making big deals!
To some degree we in Australia are requiring commitments to creating and using green electricity. That is good and too hard for the operators, given that Australia has so much sunshine.
My idea, take it a step further and flip it over. Change it building renewable power sources – Australia is lagging in the build of these, it is slower than we planned for. So, if Corporation X wants a data centre, we say, build us a solar power plant. Build the infrastructure. And as a result, you get to have priority to be your own customer.
It sounds like the same end result, and it is, except for when AI implodes and we don’t need the data centres. That will mean we still get the renewable electricity, and the AI industry loses.