The new Mandala report – Data Centres as Enabling Infrastructure – released today, highlights the critical role of data centres in securing Australia’s digital future.
The message is clear: collaboration, policy alignment and moving at speed are critical to unlock growth, enabling faster renewable energy development, and driving investment in innovative and sustainable water solutions.
Four key findings from the report:
- Data centres are powering Australia’s digital economy efficiently: consuming just 2% of Australia’s energy and less than 0.1% of Australia’s water. The technology sector generates ~$12.6B in gross value added per TWh of energy consumed which is higher than mining and manufacturing.
- Data centres are driving investment in national infrastructure: By 2030, data centres will have invested $7.2B in grid upgrades and up to $1.1B in recycled water systems.
- Data centres are leading the clean energy transition. 70% of data centre energy demand is renewable, supported by 1.5 TWh of direct renewable generation through PPAs and on-site solar. By 2030, up to 50% of water use will be recycled.
- Coordinated action is essential: accelerating infrastructure approvals, enabling industry-informed standards and facilitating private investment will unlock sustainable growth at scale.
Paul Slaven, Chief Development Officer at AirTrunk said: “Data centres are central to Australia’s digital economy ambitions but are often misunderstood. We need to build greater understanding of data centres – across society, government and industry – including the need for scale, speed and sustainability. The Mandala report shows how data centres drive economic growth, accelerate the clean energy transition, and strengthen Australia’s digital future.”
The report, commissioned by four of Australia’s largest data centre operators, including AirTrunk, was released at the official launch of Data Centres Australia (DCA), the new peak body whose purpose is to advance the interests of the data centre sector and promote Australia’s national benefit in doing so.