The Daily Telegraph는 4억 6천만 달러 규모의 호주 데이터센터 프로젝트를 보도하며 "No time to wait"이라는 제목을 달았다.

Australia is sitting on a $A460 million data centre goldmine, and the industry fears it will be lost to jurisdictions such as Malaysia if the country fails to embrace new projects.

Data Centres Australia's upcoming data centre forecast report, obtained by this masthead, shows that total IT capacity in the national project pipeline has risen to a staggering 26.8 gigawatts, an increase of 5.2 gigawatts in just six months. At an estimated US$12 million per gigawatt, the newest projects in the pipeline alone represent a $A62.4 million opportunity. The entire pipeline, spanning early-stage ventures, committed projects, facilities under construction and operational capacity, is worth $A461 million.

The figures come as exclusive polling shows that most Australians support building data centres but are sceptical about hosting them on home soil. The Growth Intelligence Centre (GIC) survey found that a startling 56 per cent believe the facilities are necessary. Of those, 39 per cent rated data centres as "somewhat necessary" and 17 per cent described them as "very necessary."

As available energy connections in the cities dry up, more projects are heading to the regions. The Data Centres Australia forecast report shows that capacity in early-stage proposals in Sydney has halved since March, with projects such as Goodman's maligned Lane Cove development scrapped or shelved. Yet the pipeline holds almost twice the capacity in regional NSW compared with regional Victoria.

Most Australians are also worried about AI infrastructure being built in their own backyards. Almost two in three said they were "concerned" about data centres "being built in Australia," and 22 per cent reported feeling "very concerned" about the prospect.

Meanwhile, the data centre industry is warning that domestic investment will not wait forever for Australian regulators to get their act together. Data Centres Australia CEO Belinda Dennett said Australians should be as proud of the "best in the world" reputations of homegrown operators NextDC, AirTrunk and CDC as they are of "tech darlings" Canva and Atlassian, "but it's not a fact we talk about."

There is a "real risk for Australia" if operators are forced to move overseas, she said, amid regulatory uncertainty and political debate that has quietly saddled the sector with an effective moratorium.

"Decisions are being made now by operators – our members – of where to build, decisions are made by investors of which projects they'll back, and decisions are being made by customers as to where that regional AI hub will be," Ms Dennett said.

"We've seen in Singapore and we've seen in Ireland where they had moratoriums on data centres, that capacity didn't come back, it shifted. In Singapore, it opened up Malaysia. Malaysia is now the fastest growing data centre … hub in the region.

"We don't really have time to wait."

Jobs inside the facilities are also on the line amid the heated debate. Data Centres Australia estimates that 23,000 specialists will be needed to staff and maintain them over the next four years.

Through Victoria University and TAFE NSW, Microsoft's Data Centre Academy has trained more than 200 new technicians through two 13-week "very intensive, bootcamp-style" short courses since last year.

Cam Lau, 33, was one of 38 people to join the academy's first cohort after being made redundant from her banking job amid a "pullback" on tech spending.

"I didn't want to be in the same situation again, where I'd be working on something that I really care about and then suddenly there's a restructure," she said.

"I didn't know too much about the (data centre) industry, but what I do know is that it's one of the growth areas in Australia, and there's a lot of investment – that's what gave me the confidence to invest the time and do the studies."

On graduating as a qualified "critical environment technician," Ms Lau was immediately snapped up by Microsoft to work in one of its Melbourne facilities. The role gives her the "freedom" to pursue her passion for "tinkering and building things," she said, and "every day is varied," from overseeing maintenance and server installations to escorting other technicians around the facility to ensure it never crashes.

"I would've never imagined myself here because with the title 'technician' it sounds like I should be a tradesperson, so it's cool that through the Data Centre Academy I've gotten this opportunity," Ms Lau said.

**Homes for humans over homes for bots: poll**

Homes should be given precedence over building more data centres, and migration intake should be tied to housing, according to a new poll.

Three-quarters of a representative sample of 2051 Australians surveyed by the Growth Intelligence Centre agreed with the statement that "residential housing construction should be prioritised over data centre construction," with an overwhelming 44 per cent in strong agreement. Just four per cent disagreed, while the remaining respondents were neutral or unsure.

Baby Boomers were the most likely to prioritise houses over data centres (84 per cent), compared with Gen Zs (64 per cent).

Respondents were also asked whether Australia's migration intake should be linked to housing construction. A majority, 59 per cent, agreed, and just 11 per cent disagreed. Men were slightly more likely than women to agree.

Land use has emerged as a key concern in a Senate inquiry into data centres, with property developers, human rights groups and environmental activists all raising questions about how the facilities will affect housing availability. Councils in Sydney and Melbourne have told the inquiry that the cumulative pressure data centres place on the electricity grid could undermine future housing developments.

"That's exactly what's happened in Ultimo, whereby the 90 megawatter (data centre) has subsumed the allocation of credits to a nearby power station which is required for future development in the Bays West precinct," City of Sydney deputy mayor Jess Miller testified.

Housing concerns have prompted some operators to act. Canberra-based CDC Data Centres has pledged to spend $225 million on a "community benefits package" that could include new homes, if its proposal for the regional NSW town of Wagga Wagga is approved.

"This is not about building a data centre and walking away," CDC CEO Greg Boorer said.

**Career boon or job buster? How AI is affecting Aussie skills**

Australians are convinced artificial intelligence will radically shake up the job market, yet most have yet to see a direct impact.

More than a third of respondents (35 per cent) to the Growth Intelligence Centre survey of 2000 Australians said AI will have a "mostly negative" effect on jobs, replacing more than it creates. Almost half (45 per cent) believe the outcome will be "a mix of both – some jobs created, others lost."

The vast majority, 79 per cent, agreed that "as AI changes jobs, Australians will need to retrain or re-skill." Managers, including CEOs, were especially likely to agree, with 41 per cent strongly agreeing.

Yet almost four years after ChatGPT hit the mainstream, most Australians have yet to see their own jobs or businesses affected by AI. Of those surveyed, 60 per cent said they had seen no impact so far. Among the remaining respondents, 30 per cent said AI has had a positive effect.

Millennials were the most likely to have seen a positive difference in their work, with 42 per cent saying AI has been good for their careers.

Technicians, tradies, community workers and those in personal and administrative services have experienced the least impact, the research showed.

The National AI Centre's adoption tracker shows that 38 per cent of small and medium enterprises across Australia are adopting AI, with generative AI assistants the most popular application. However, one in four businesses are "not aware" of the technology.

Tech Council of Australia CEO Kate Cornick said AI presents a "substantial" opportunity for SMEs to improve productivity.

"Support needs to be better targeted," she said.

"Regional businesses remain behind their metropolitan counterparts, and some industries face much greater adoption gaps. Government and industry can build on existing programs to help more small businesses put AI to use."

The Back Australia series is supported by Harvey Norman, Ampol, Bunnings, Qantas, AAMI, Journey Beyond, Gippsland Critical Minerals and News24.