Australia Outlines New Net Zero, Water Requirements for Data Centre Growth

Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Aug. 19, 2024. AAP Image/Mick TsikasNew data centres will need to support the net zero transition while also maintain sustainable use of water resources, according to new requirements from the Australian federal government.The release of the “Expectations of data centres and AI infrastructure developers” comes amid ongoing questions about the sustainability of building more energy and water hungry data centres in Australia, particularly the ongoing explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) use, which needs intense computational resources.