FEATURE
CAN AUSTRALIA’ S INFRASTRUCTURE KEEP PACE WITH AI DATA CENTRE GROWTH?
As Australia moves towards national standards for large data centres, Nandakumaran Muthuvel, Director of Power Systems at Cundall, explains why power, cooling, water and site selection must be planned together from day one if infrastructure is to keep up with AI-driven demand.
ustralia’ s plans for national AI
A standards are sparking a broader discussion about the infrastructure needed to enable the country’ s next generation of data centres.
The Federal Government first set out its direction in July, proposing a national regulatory framework for large data centre facilities around power supply, grid connection costs, demand management, water efficiency and site selection. National Cabinet subsequently agreed to progress a nationally consistent framework, with Commonwealth legislation intended for early 2027.
For developers, the important point is the extent to which these requirements link digital growth with the physical systems which support it; securing land and obtaining a connection to the grid will not be sufficient, since the projects will also need a solid plan regarding where their electricity is obtained, their behaviour when the network is constrained and the protection of local water resources.
Nandakumaran Muthuvel, Director of Power Systems at Cundall www. intelligentcio. com
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