Who actually benefits from new datacentres in Australia? - podcast
TL;DR
National cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the federal government’s plan for new AI datacentre development. Queensland and the Northern Territory have won a carve-out so that theirs can be powered by coal and gas – rather than renewables. Meanwhile, the fight between the West Australian premier Roger Cook and the Productivity Commission over his state’s generous GST deal persists. And federally, migration arrival numbers continue to spur debate across the political parties.
Nauti's Take
The carve-out for Queensland and the Northern Territory puts the tradeoff in plain sight: data centres bring investment and a real opportunity for regional value creation, while the power behind them comes from coal and gas. The risk sits in the bill, because grid upgrades and emissions end up with taxpayers and residents.
Anyone planning AI workloads in Australia should document location and energy mix now, since European customers ask exactly that.
Summary
National cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the federal government’s plan for new AI datacentre development. Queensland and the Northern Territory have won a carve-out so that theirs can be powered by coal and gas – rather than renewables.
Meanwhile, the fight between the West Australian premier Roger Cook and the Productivity Commission over his state’s generous GST deal persists. And federally, migration arrival numbers continue to spur debate across the political parties.
To discuss this week’s mix of politics and policy, political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the CEO of the Grattan Institute, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, and economics editor Patrick Commins Read more: Albanese backs down on states powering AI datacentres using renewable energy In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism | Ben Doherty Continue reading...
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