麦肯锡 -澳大利亚的人工智能时代：打造亚太算力中心 Australias AI moment Building Asia–Pacifics compute hub

April2026

Mcsey

&company

Australia

Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

AustraliahasanopportunitytobecomeanAsia–PacificAIhub,

unlockingeconomicgrowthandproductivity—thoughanumberofconstraintsneedtobeaddressed.

ThisarticleisacollaborativeeffortbyIshaanNangia,OskarTetzlaff,andWesleyWalden,withMattCruickshankandQuanLau,representingviewsfromMcKinsey’sInfrastructurePracticeandtheTechnology,Media&TelecommunicationsPractice.

2Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

Artificialintelligence(AI)isreshapingtheglobaleconomyandredefiningproductivityand

competitiveness.McKinseyestimatesthatthetechnologycouldaddbetween

AU$3.9trillion(US$2.6

trillion)andAU$6.8trillioninannualvaluetotheglobaleconom

y.1

Butwith

globalcomputedemandexpectedtogrowatleastthree-and-a-halftimesby2030

,2successdependsonacriticalenabler:theabilitytobuildandoperatelarge-scaledigitalinfrastructure.NationsthatarebestpositionedtocapturetheeconomicdividendsofAIadoptionmaybethosethatcandeliverinfrastructureinasustainable,reliable,andscalableway.

AustraliahasarealopportunitytobecomeanAsia–Pacificcenterfordigitalinfrastructure—allowingitnotonlytomeetdomesticAIcomputedemandandcontributepositivelytoAustralia’snationalinterests,but

alsotocaptureashareofregionalAIworkloads.Therewardscouldbesignificant,potentiallytranslatingintoapproximatelyAU$80billioninadditionalGDPannuallyfrom2030and100,000newjobsacrossconstruction,operations,andsupportingsupplychains,accordingtoouranalysis.Yet,capturingtheserewardswillrequireAustraliatoovercomeanumberofconstraints.

Tounlocktheopportunity,weestimatethatnewcapitalinvestmentofuptoAU$190billionwouldbeneededtoincreaseAustralia’scomputecapacityfrom1.5gigawatts(GW)to5.0GWby2030.Thisrepresentsalmosttwo-fifthsoftheupliftneededtorestoreAustraliancapitalinvestmenttolevelshistoricallyassociatedwithhigh-productivitygrowth.3

Australiahasmanyadvantagesfordigitalinfrastructurebuild-out:ampleland,politicalstability,andstrongrenewableenergypotential.4Italsohasalong-standingpositionasatrustedtechnologypartnertoits

globalallies,oftenfacingcomparativelyfewerconstraintsonadvancedtechnologycollaborationandtransfer.5

Thatsaid,growingheadwinds,includingenergyavailabilityandaffordability,time-to-powerdelays,high

buildandlaborcosts,andanuancedregulatorylandscape,wouldneedtobeaddressed—quickly—to

capturethisopportunity.ThecomingdecademaydeterminewhetherAustraliacanactwithsufficientspeedandcoordinationtobecomearegionalAIhub.

Inthisarticle,weoutlinethescaleoftheAIopportunity,theconstraintstobesolved,andthestrategicactionsrequiredtoenablesustainableAI-drivengrowthinAustralia.

Thedatacenterinfrastructureopportunityandchallenges

TheopportunityforAustraliaismultifaceted.Astechnologyaccelerates,sodotheconsiderationsforinfrastructure,workload,demand,investment,andproductivity.

1“TheeconomicpotentialofgenerativeAI:Thenextproductivityfrontier,”McKinsey,June14,2023.

2“Thecostofcompute:A$7trillionracetoscaledatacenters,”McKinseyQuarterly,April28,2025.

3ChrisBradley,BenStretch,JulesCarrigan,andWesleyWalden,“FivebigtestsforAustralia’sproductivityagenda,”McKinsey,July29,2025.

4“Countriesintheworldbypopulation(2025),”Worldometer,accessedOctober2025;“Politicalstabilityandabsenceofviolence/terrorism:Percentilerank,”WorldBank,accessedOctober2025;“Totalelectricitygeneration,”OurWorldinData,January26,2026.

5OECDscience,technologyandinnovationoutlook:Drivingchangeinashiftinglandscape,OECD,October28,2025;AustraliarankingintheGlobalInnovationIndex2025,WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization,September2025;“Australianinnovationstatistics,”AustralianDepartmentofIndustry,ScienceandResources,August15,2025.

Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub3

Redesigninginfrastructureforashiftingworkloadmix

By2030,morethanhalfofglobaldatacenterworkloadsareexpectedtobeAI-related,eitherfortrainingorinferencingforlargeAImodels.

6

Theseworkloadsdiffersubstantiallyfromtraditionalcomputingandcloudworkloads,requiringhigherpowerdensities,fasternetworking,andadvancedcoolingtechnologies.

Standardenterpriseracksoperateat4.0to9.0kilowatts(kW);incontrast,AIracksrequirebetween40and300kW,dependingonmodelcomplexityandhardwareconfiguration.7Thisdramaticincreaseisdrivinga

fundamentalredesignofinfrastructure.Liquidandimmersioncoolingarereplacingconventionalair-coolingsystemswherefeasible,andpowerdistributionunitsandbackupsystemsarebeingreengineeredtohandlecontinuoushigh-densityloads.8

Likemanymarketsacrosstheglobe,Australia’shistoricaldatacenterinfrastructurehasbeenfocusedonservinggeneralcloudandenterpriseworkloads.Tomeetfuturedemand,newfacilitieswillberequiredtocatertoAI’sspecificcomputerequirements.ForAustraliatoremainregionallycompetitive,thisexpansionwouldneedtobeachievedswiftly,withimplicationsfortheinvestmentandenablersrequired.

Fromglobalsurgetoregionalspillover

ThedemandforAIinfrastructureisreflectedintheacceleratedglobalbuild-outseenacrossmajormarketsinrecentyears.Accordingtoouranalysis,datacentercapacityintheUnitedStateshasexpandedmorethanthreefoldsince2020.InEurope,FLAP-D(Frankfurt,London,Amsterdam,Paris,andDublin)hasgrownintothelargestdatacenterhubintheregion,withallbutAmsterdamshowingdevelopmentpipelinesexceeding500megawatts(MW).

9

Yetthesemajormarketsfacearangeoffactorsthatmaycontributetosupplyshortages.Ouranalysis

ofthethreelargestdatacenterhubs—Europe,Singapore,andtheUnitedStates—indicatesthatwhile

capacityexpansionisaccelerating,powerandlandavailability,permittingtimelines,andcostescalationareincreasinglybecomingrestraintsondatacenterrollout.

Forexample,landandenergyconstraintsthatlimitnewcapacityinEuropecouldcreatearounda3.0GW

deficit.Asaresult,about60percentofnewAI-relateddemandisstartingtoshifttoNordicmarkets,suchasIcelandandNorway,asoperatorsseekfewerlimitations.10

IntheAsia–Pacificregion,Singaporehistoricallyhasbeentheleadingdigitalgateway.However,restrictionshaveaffecteddatacenterbuild-out.In2019,whendatacentersreachedanestimated7percentofthe

country’snationalelectricityconsumption,thegovernmentimposedatemporarymoratoriumonnewdata

centerdevelopments.11Althoughthemoratoriumwasliftedin2022withstricterpower-usageeffectiveness

standards,ouranalysisshowsthatnewprojectsinSingaporestillcanbehamperedbylimitedland,water,andavailableenergy12—resultinginananticipatedcapacitygapofapproximately2.0GW(Exhibit1).

6“Thecostofcompute:A$7trillionracetoscaledatacenters,”McKinseyQuarterly,April28,2025.

7

UptimeInstituteGlobalDataCenterSurvey2024,UptimeIntelligence,July2024;Vertivblog,“WepowerandcooltheAIfactor,”Blogpostby

AntonChuchkov,February2,2024;DanSwinhoe,“CyrusOneoffers300kW-per-rackAIdatacenterdesign,”DataCenterDynamics,August24,2023.

8

MariaKorolov,“LiquidcoolingbecomingessentialasAIserversproliferate,”NetworkWorld,May19,2025.

92025globaldatacentermarketcomparison:Pipelineandpreleasing,Cushman&Wakefield,2025;NewstateofEuropeandatacentres2026report,EuropeanDataCentreAssociation,February3,2026.

10

11

12

EuropeandatacentresfiguresQ32025,CBRE,November14,2025.

TangSeeKit,“Singaporeputs‘temporarypause’onnewdatacentres:Whyandwhatitmeansfortheindustry,”ChannelNewsAsia,May10,2021.

YongJunYuan,“NewdatacentresinSingaporetomeethigherstandardswhenmoratoriumliftsinQ22022,”BusinessTimes,January27,2022.

4Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

Exhibit1

Existingdatacenterhubsareseeingagrowingsupply-demandgap,creatingspilloverdemand,especiallyfortrainingloads.

Projectedsupply-demandgap,2030,gigawatts(GW)

Vacancyrate,2024,%

3GWgap

19

16

CoreEuropehub¹

9.8

DemandSupply

2GWgap

4

2

Singaporehub²

0.8

Note:AssumingdemandgaprepresentsAItrainingworkloadsthatcanbefeasiblyo仟shored,andthateachmarketwilllocalizeworkloaddistributiontoensurethatinferenceactivitiesremainonshoretominimizelatency.

1France,Germany,Ireland,UK,Netherlands.

2Thereisanongoinglicensingforanother200–700megawattstobeissued,providingasupplyrangeof1.8–2.3GWby2030.

Source:CBRE;Cushman&Wakefield;ManufacturingFootprintInitiativeteam;Singaporegovernment;McKinseyHyperscalersSurvey2025;McKinseyProprietaryDataCenterSupplyandDemandModel

McKinsey&Company

Theseconditionshaveinfluencedcapitalallocation,withinvestmentflowingelsewhereintheregion.Asanexample,inthefirsttenmonthsof2024,MalaysiasecuredoverUS$20billionofinvestmentsfrom

NorthAmericanhyperscalers,withJohorinparticularbenefitingfromitscloseproximitytoSingapore.13Inthefirsthalfof2025,ThailandapprovedapproximatelyUS$10billionindatacenterinvestment

applications.14Thesecountries,alongwithIndonesia,havestartedtocaptureSingapore’sspilloverdemandintheAsia–Pacificregion.

ThispresentsAustraliawithasignificantopportunity:Australia’seconomicgrowthandproductivity

couldbenefitifitweretocaptureaportionofthespilloverdemandfromtheAsia–Pacificregion.

However,Australiaisoperatingalongsidefastermoving—andlesscostly—regionalpeers.Some,suchasIndiaandMalaysia,havealreadyintroducedtargetedfiscalandzoningincentivestoattractdata

13

DarylCox,NicolaYeomands,andScottGardiner,“Canthedatacentregoldrushgogreen?Malaysia’sJohorshowswecanmovefast,butmoreisneeded,”King&WoodMallesons,August29,2024;TimFourteau,“WhatispropellingMalaysia’sdatacentreboom?,”White&

Case,October17,2025.

14

AnuchitNguyen,“ThaidatacentercapacitymaytripleonsurgingdemandforAI,”Bloomberg,August20,2025.

Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub5

centerdevelopment.15Australia’srelativeattractivenessasadigitalinfrastructuredestinationisatriskofdeclining;thepaceofitsresponseandtheselectivecaptureofdemandwilllikelydeterminewhetheritcanattractthespilloverandredirectedinvestment.

Realizingfuturedemandthroughdigitalinfrastructure

Australia’scurrentshareofglobalcomputeisapproximately1.8percent,andouranalysissuggeststhatitsdatacenterdemandcouldgrow2.6timesfrom1.5GWin2025to3.9GWin2030.ThiswouldmeetlocalAIinferencingdemands,localAItrainingneeds,andtraditionalnon-AIworkloads.

IfAustraliacouldfurthercapturespilloverdemandandbecomearegionalAIhub,datacenter

demandcouldgrowbeyond3.9GWto5.0GWin2030.16Australia’sdatacentercapacitywouldthenbeabletosupportlocalAIneeds,aswellasaportionofregionalspilloverAItrainingworkloads.

Whileprojectedsupplyislikelytogrowabout2.4timesinthisperiod,thelevelofdemandgrowthcouldoutstripsupplybyalmosttheentirecapacityinthemarkettoday(Exhibit2).

15Datacentres—APACregulatoryguide:Australia,King&WoodMallesons,July16,2025.

16

AmeliaMcGuire,MichaelRead,RonaldMizen,andNicolaSmith,“TikTok’sbigAustraliandatacentredreamhitsChalmersstonewall,”AustralianFinancialReview,December1,2025;MichaelRead,“Datacentrebookfuellingeconomicrecovery,”AustralianFinancial

Review,November11,2025;“ExpectationsofdatacentresandAIinfrastructuredevelopers,”AustralianDepartmentofIndustry,ScienceandResources,March23,2026.

Exhibit2

Datacenterdemandcouldgrowto5.0gigawattsin2030ifAustraliabecomesanAIhub,with1.1gigawattscomingfromglobalspillover.

Australiadatacenterdegigawatts(GW)

RegionalspilloverdemandinAIhubscenario

Localdemand

1.5

2025²2030projection

5.0

1.1

3.9

mandforecast,¹

1Basedoncurrentandpubliclyannounceddatacentercapacity;unannouncedcapacityisnotincluded.

2Assumedcapacitybyendof2025,includesannouncedcapacityexpectedtobelivebyDec2025(livecapacityatQ3FY2025was~1.4GW).Source:DCBytesQ3FY2025

McKinsey&Company

6Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

Giventhatcapturingthefullpotentialdemandof5.0GWby2030wouldrequirearoundAU$190billionindigitalinfrastructureinvestmentacrossAustralia,thiswouldrepresentoneofthelargerindustrial

investmentprograms,inbothscaleanddiversity,inrecentAustralianhistory.17WhileAustraliaremainsattractiveasadestinationforinstitutionalcapital,mobilizinginvestmentatthisscalewilldependon

deliverycertainty,speed,andclearandpredictableinvestmenteconomics.

ThelargestshareofinvestmentwouldgotoIThardware,particularlygraphicsprocessingunits(GPUs),

application-specificintegratedcircuits(ASICs),andhigh-densityserverracks.Mechanicalandelectricalsystemsrepresentanothersubstantialportion,coveringgenerators,switchgear,substations,andcoolingsystems(Exhibit3).18

17

McKinseyanalysis.

18CherieGozon,“Top10biggestinfrastructureprojectsinAustralia,”Mastt,July25,2025.

Exhibit3

ThelargestshareofdigitalinfrastructureinvestmentwouldgotoIThardware,thenmechanicalandelectricalsystems.

Projectedinvestmentbycategory,AU$billion

10

17

30

122

NetworkingandfiberRealestate

Powersystems

Civilandconstruction

Mechanicalandelectrical

IThardware

5

6

190

Share,%

3

3

5

9

16

64

McKinsey&Company

Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub7

Althoughdatacentersrequirewaterforcooling,5.0GWofforecastcapacityusingtraditional

air-cooledandwater-cooledsystemswouldrepresentasmallshareofAustralia’stotalannual

waterconsumption.19Impactsonwaterarelikelytobeconcentratedinmetropolitanareassuchas

MelbourneandSydney,wheremuchofthedatacentercapacityisexpectedtobebuilt.20Amitigatingfactoristhatnewersolutions,includingclosed-loopliquidandimmersioncooling,arelesswater

intensiveandcanoperateeffectivelyusingnonpotablewatersources.21Assuch,waterisunlikely

tobeasystemicnationalconstraintbutwillincreasinglyrequireaproject-levelapproachand

sociallicenseconsideration.Localsupply,infrastructurecapacity,andcommunityandgovernmentexpectationscouldallinfluencehowgrowthisaccommodated.

Investingtoclosetheproductivitygap

Iftheprojectedinvestmentneededmaterializes,ouranalysisshowsthatdatacenterinfrastructuredevelopmentcouldgenerateanadditionalAU$80billioninGDPannuallyfrom2030andsupportapproximately100,000newjobs(Exhibit4).Growthinemploymentwouldoccurinboththe

constructionandoperationalphases.Theinitialphasewouldrequireconstruction,engineering,andlogisticsroles,whileemploymentdemandwouldlatershifttodigitaloperations,network

management,security,andfacilitiesmaintenance.

19“Seizingtheopportunitytododatacentresright,”ClimateCouncil,February19,2026;“Wateraccount,Australia:2021–22financialyear,”AustralianBureauofStatistics,October19,2023;McKinseyanalysis.

20

21

Datacentreconstructionoutlook,Macromonitor,July7,2025.

MiguelYañez-Barnuevo,“Datacentersandwaterconsumption,”EnvironmentalandEnergyStudyInstitute,June25,2025.

Exhibit4

UptoAU$80billionofeconomicvaluecouldbecreatedin2030ifAustraliabecomesanAIhub.

2030projectedin-yearGDPupliftprovidedbyAustraliandatacenters,¹AU$billion

Investmentphase

Operationsphase

80

20

60

2030

1Underacontinuedmomentumglobaldemandgrowthcase;GDPupliftcalculatedbasedoncapitalexpendituresonshore,aso仟shoreexpendituresleakoutofthedomesticsystemandthusdonotcontributetolocalGDPoremployment.Estimatedinitialanddirectjobsfromdatacenterinvestment;doesnotincludewiderindirect/inducedjobs.

Source:AustralianBureauofStatistics;EconomicResearchInstitute;InternationalMonetaryFund;NorthernVirginiaTechnologyCouncil;McKinseyanalysis

McKinsey&Company

8Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

ThisinvestmentcouldbepartoftheanswertoAustralia’sproductivitychallenges.Since2016,Australia’seconomicenginehasbeenrunningoutofsteam.Overthepast30years(from1994to2024),percapitaGDPgrewat1.7percentayear.Yet

thepost-2016growthrateaveragedjust0.6percent,andsince2020

hasbeennegative

.22

RecentMcKinseyresearchonAustralianproductivityhighlightedthatlowprivatesectorinvestmenthas

beenamajorcontributortotheslowdown.23Restoringinvestmentlevelsisaprerequisite,albeitnota

guarantee,forliftinglong-termproductivitygrowth.Accordingtoouranalysis,capitalinvestmentindigitalinfrastructurecouldaccountforupto40percentoftheinvestmentneededtorestoreAustralia’smarket

sectorproductivitygrowthratetoits30-yearaverageof1.7percentayear.

Thebenefitsofincreasedproductivitycouldextendbeyonddigitalinfrastructuredevelopment.ScalablecomputeinfrastructurewouldenableAIadoptionanddeploymentacrossindustriessuchasmining,

logistics,finance,andhealthcare,withthesesecond-ordergainsliftingoutputperworkerandimprovingeconomicproductivity—althoughtheseeffectsarenotincludedintheeconomicimpactestimatesabove.

KeyprioritiesforincreasingAustralia’sattractiveness

AccordingtoaMcKinseysurveyofhyperscalersandenterprisesconductedin2025,hyperscalers—datacenters’corecustomers—currentlyprioritizetimetomarketaboveallelsewhenchoosingnewlocations.24Inlargepart,howsoonadatacentercanbeoperationaldependsonhowquicklypowerandapprovals

canbesecured.Otherfactorshyperscalerslookforinnewlocationsincludeeaseofdoingbusiness,landavailability,networkconnectivity,andinvestmentcosts.SomeofthesepresentchallengesinAustralia

(Exhibit5).

Australia’snaturaladvantagesincludelandavailability,politicalstability,andabundantrenewableenergy

potential.However,itcurrentlytrailsanumberofcountriesintheregionontimetomarket,cost,and

financialincentives.25Thistrendcouldcontinueunlessthesechallengesareaddressed:Averagetimeto

power,costofenergy,andcostofconstructionlaborinAustraliahaveallincreasedoverthepastfiveyears.26

Australia’sabilitytocapturedigitalinfrastructureinvestmentdependsonaddressingthefollowingconstraints:

—Timetopower:Australia’sgridconnectiontimesareamongtheslowestintheAsia–Pacificregion,withnewdatacenterpowerconnectionstakingtwotothreeyearsinkeylocations.27Ouranalysissuggeststhatdatacenterpowerusecouldtripleby2030,outpacingplannedgridcapacity,unlessfaster

approvalsanddirectconnectmodelscanbeintroduced(seesidebar,“Deepdive:Energyandthegridoutlook”).

—Costofenergy:Australia’saveragebusinesselectricitypricesare56percenthigherthanthecurrent

Asia–Pacificaverage.Itshigherpowerpricesmeanthelong-runmarginalcostofbuildingandoperatingadatacenterinAustraliaisaround15percentabovetheAsia–Pacificaverage.

28

TheHyperscalersDataCenterandAIUsageSurveyin2025covered61procurementevaluatorsanddecision-makersinover15Asia–Pacificgeographiesacrossninehyperscalers.

22ChrisBradley,BenStretch,JulesCarrigan,andWesleyWalden,“FivebigtestsforAustralia’sproductivityagenda,”McKinsey,July29,2025.23ChrisBradley,BenStretch,JulesCarrigan,andWesleyWalden,“FivebigtestsforAustralia’sproductivityagenda,”McKinsey,July29,2025.24

25

26

27

McKinseyanalysis.

Electricity-relatedlabourandmaterialsescalationcosts:ForecaststoFY32,OxfordEconomicsAustralia,May2025.

JamesNormandale,“Asia–Pacificdatacentreconstructioncostguide2025,”Cushman&Wakefield,January16,2025.

28“Electricitypricesaroundtheworld:Q32025update,”GlobalPetrolPrices,accessedOctober2025;“Datacentrecostindex2024:Datacentrecosttrends—across-marketview,”Turner&Townsend,accessedOctober2025;McKinseyanalysis.

Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub9

Exhibit5

VariousdriversareimpactingAustralia’spotentialofbecomingadatacenterhub.

FactorsofAustralia’spotentialtobecomeadatacenterhub,inorderofimportance

5-yeartrendDriversUnfavorableFavorable

Timeto

•Averagetimetopowerof~3yearsislongerthanothermarketsinAsia

market

•Timetoreceiveconstructionpermitsis~400days

Easeof

doing

business

•VeryhighpoliticalstabilityandpreviouslyoneoffewAsia—PacificcountriesclassedasTier1undertheUSAIdi仟usionframework

•O仟ersfewerdedicatedeconomiczoneswithincentivestoencouragedatacenterinvestment

Land

•Highlandavailability,includingahighnumberofexistingzonespermetroareathatcanbe

availability

sitedandpermittedfordatacenters

Connectivity

•Wellconnectedoverallonbothterrestrialandsubseafiber,especiallythecapitalcitieswherethemajorityofdatacentersarelocated

•Relianceonsomeoldersubseacablespassingthroughkeychokepointscouldposerisksfordependability,scalability,a仟ordability,andnationalsecurity

Costs

•Long-runcostofmaintainingadatacenterismoreexpensivethanothercountriesintheregion,drivenbyhigherenergycostsandconstructioncosts

Source:Companywebsites;CSIS;Cushman&Wakefield;ElectronicsResearchInstitute(ERI);GlobalPetrolPrices;K&WMallesons;TeleGeography;WorldBank;Worldmeter

McKinsey&Company

—Laborcosts:Constructionworkerlaborcostsare159percentabovetheregionalaverage,andshortagesinelectricalandmechanicalengineers,inparticular,couldrestrictdelivery.29

—Easeofdoingbusiness:ProjectdeliveryinAustraliacanbeslowedbymultilayeredapprovals,

longpermittingprocesses,andlimitedfiscalincentives.Delaysinregulatoryapprovalscanpushoutdevelopmenttimelines,andAustralia’sextensiveforeigninvestmentreviewprocesscould

deterglobalinvestment.30

—Connectivity:WhileAustraliaiswellconnected,especiallyinmajorcitieswheremostdata

centersarelocated,dependencyonasmallnumberofagingsubseacablespassingthroughkeychokepointscouldposerisksfordependability,scalability,affordability,andnationalsecurity.31

29“2024occupationshortagelist:Keyfindingsandinsights,”JobsandSkillsAustralia,AustralianGovernment,October14,2024;

“Arcadisinternationalconstructioncosts2024report:SydneycontinuestobethemostexpensivecityinAustraliainwhichtobuild,”Arcadispressrelease,April16,2024.

30

31

MichaelRead,“Datacentreboomfuellingeconomicrecovery,”AustralianFinancialReview,November11,2025;McKinseyanalysis.

AndrewHorton,“TheAchilles’heelofadigitalnation:Australia’sdependenceonsubseacables,”Strategist,June6,2024.

10Australia’sAImoment:BuildingAsia–Pacific’scomputehub

Deepdive:Energyandthegridoutlook

Datacenterenergyconsumptionaccountedfor

approximately4.0terawatt-hours(TWh),oraround

2percentofNationalElectricityMarketdemand,forthefullyear2025.¹However,thisreflectsrelativelylow

utilizationofexistingcapacity.

Underacontinuationofthecurrentutilizationscenario,

demandwouldgrowaboutthreetimestobetween12and

15TWhby2030,oraround6percentofgriddemand.Underhigherutilizationscenarios,demandcouldrisetoasmuch

as13percentofnationalgriddemandby2030.

Gridconnectionandtransmissiondelaysarelikelytobe

majornear-termconstraintsforlargedatacenterprojectsinAustralia.²Nineoutof24priorityenergytransmission

projectsinAustraliaarecurrentlyrunningbehindschedule,withanaverageofalmosttwoyearsacrossnineprojects.³

Internationalprecedentshowsthattemporarydelaysindatacenterconnectionscanstalldatacentergrowthformany

years—evenafterdelaysareresolved—asinvestmentsarequicktoshiftelsewhere.InIreland,gridconstraintsledtoatemporarymoratoriumonnewdatacenterconnections,andSingaporeimposedasimilarpausebetween2019

and2022.⁴Bothcasesresultedinsignificantinvestmentdiversiontoalternativemarkets.

AddressingtheseenergyrisksinAustraliawillrequirecoordinatedplanningbetweenenergyauthorities,

regulators,andprivatedevelopers.

1

Datacentreenergydemand,OxfordEconomicsAustralia,July2025.

2“Connectionsreforminitiative,”AustralianEnergyMarketOperator,accessedOctober2025.

3“2024Electricitystatementofopportunities(ESOO),”AustralianEnergyMarketOperator,August29,2024;2024Integratedsystemplan(ISP),AustralianEnergyMarketOperator,June26,2024;McKinseyanalysis.

4

ZacharySkidmore,MicrosoftshiftingdatacenterfocusawayfromIrelandduetolackofpoweravailability-report,DataCenterDynamics,July3,2025;“Singaporehitspauseonbuildingnewdatacentres;short-termrentsup,”BusinessTimes,November8,2020.

EstablishinganationalblueprintforcapturingtheAIopportunity

Australiaisnowatacriticalinflectionpoint.CapturingthenextwaveofAI-drivendigitalinfrastructure

investmentmaydependonimmediateandcoordinatedactionacrossregulation,energy,workforce

capab