Australia’s $155 Billion Data Centre Boom: Can We Build Fast Enough?

Australia’s data centre boom is accelerating, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and unprecedented demand for digital infrastructure. But can Australia build the power, workforce and infrastructure needed to keep up?
In this episode of Connected Conversations, Emma Bedford speaks with Andrew Green of AG Squared Consulting about the future of data centres in Australia and New Zealand, the growth of AI infrastructure and what this rapidly expanding sector means for construction and capital works.
Andrew breaks down the difference between traditional colocation facilities and enormous hyperscale data centres, why Australia has become a major destination for global data centre investment, and why access to power, land, skilled workers and faster approvals will determine which projects actually get built.
They explore the biggest challenges facing the sector, including data centre energy consumption, renewable energy, water usage, liquid cooling, grid infrastructure and the pressure AI is placing on data centre design.
The conversation also looks at the construction opportunity. With major projects requiring huge workforces across electrical, mechanical and traditional trades, data centres could create long-term careers extending from construction into operations and maintenance.
Andrew also explains why these 25-year assets need to adapt to technology that can become outdated within just a few years, and why designing for flexibility is now critical.
They discuss:
• AI and hyperscale data centre growth
• Data centre construction in Australia
• Renewable energy and electricity demand
• Water usage and sustainable cooling
• Construction workforce shortages
• AI, GPUs and high-density computing
• Designing data centres for future technology
• Jobs and opportunities across the data centre sector
Connected Workplaces: connectedworkplaces.com
Andrew Green: LinkedIn: andrewgreennz

🎙️ Timestamps:
00:00 - Cold Open: Are Data Centres Managing Their Environmental Impact?
00:44 - Introduction: Meet Andrew Green
02:44 - The "Data Hotel" Analogy & The Rise of Hyperscale Facilities
04:38 - Why Australia and New Zealand are Prime Global Data Hubs
06:55 - The Shift from Local Cloud to Global AI Processing
08:45 - Is the $155 Billion Pipeline Real?
11:58 - Speed to Market: Why Sequencing is Critical
13:46 - Managing the Construction Labor Shortage & Trade Opportunities
17:21 - The "Operate & Manage" Challenge for the Next 25 Years
22:15 - Design Trends: Density, The Megawatt Rack, and Liquid Cooling
25:34 - The Role of the Data Centre in Everyday Life
27:32 - How to Design for Hardware that Changes Every 3 Years
30:58 - The Hub and Spoke Model: AI Training vs. Inferencing
32:38 - Energy Consumption: Is 8% of Global Supply the Limit?
34:48 - Environmental Responsibility & Closed-Loop Water Systems
39:31 - Why "Early" is Better Than "On Budget" in Data Centre Construction
41:12 - Advice for Boards: Patience & Ecosystem Integration
44:50 - Using Waste Heat for Greenhouses & Residential Heating
46:10 - Optimism for the Future: A New Industry Ecosystem
48:42 - Closing Remarks