The Business Council of Australia’s submission to the Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence and data centres outlines how Australia can manage the growth of data centres while capturing the economic and productivity benefits of AI and digital infrastructure.
Data centres are increasingly important economic infrastructure, supporting cloud computing, AI and the digital services used by businesses, governments and communities. Australia has an opportunity to attract significant investment in this infrastructure, but growth will need to be managed alongside increasing demands on energy, water, planning and other enabling infrastructure.
The submission calls for government to:
- co-design with industry a single national, outcomes-based standard for data centre development, providing consistent and proportionate rules
- establish a nationally consistent and workable energy framework that supports the energy transition while maintaining flexibility and investment certainty
- improve coordination of water, energy and digital infrastructure, including responsible water use and faster delivery of connectivity infrastructure
- streamline planning and approvals through faster, more coordinated project decisions
- ensure data centre growth delivers lasting benefits for Australian communities and workers.
With the right settings, data centre growth can support Australia’s energy transition, attract investment and strengthen the digital infrastructure needed for wider AI adoption.