Protecting Our Water and Electricity in Australia’s Data Centre Boom

The AI boom has led to data centres popping up all over Australia, and they have an insatiable thirst for water and electricity.Some experts are concerned that guardrails need to be put in place urgently to ensure the companies behind the data centres don’t have unfettered access to the nation’s electricity and water supplies.A coalition of industry groups, unions, community organisations and environmental groups has put forward a proposal that would see future data centres forced to adhere to a set of principles.They include the centres sourcing their own renewable energy, using water “responsibly” and operating with "transparency".The proposal, written by Carbon Zero Initiative’s Alexander Hoysted, is now on the desks of two government ministers. Hoysted gives the National Account’s Archie Milligan the lowdown on what could happen if these data centres are built without proper oversight.Follow The National Account:https://www.instagram.com/thenationalaccounthttps://www.tiktok.com/@thenationalaccount