Labor sets terms for data center and AI growth as it vows not to repeat the mistakes of the resources boom

Australia should learn from the mistakes of the resources boom and set the terms for the AI ​​and data center boom, says Deputy Digital Economy Minister Andrew Charlton.

Data center growth has exploded in the last two years, Charlton told the Sydney Institute on Wednesday evening. In New South Wales alone, 44 projects are being planned, aiming for a capacity of 11 GW in the electricity grid.

Data centers currently consume about 2% of the national electricity market – the equivalent of 700,000 homes – but that share is rising, he said, with demand doubling in Victoria and rising 18% in NSW over the past year.

Given this meteoric rise, Charlton said data centers have become “one of the most competitive pieces of infrastructure in the world.” Proponents say they could bring a new wave of economic value, while critics say they are “huge sheds… that create few jobs and risk some of the same mistakes we made in the commodities boom.”

Charlton said both sides had important…