Thirsty and power hungry: Australia is in the middle of a datacentre boom – but not everyone is convinced

They’re a key part of the digital and AI economy, but they come at a high environmental cost and offer few operational jobs Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast On Mamre Road, in Sydney’s outer western suburbs, there are plans to build a “hyperscale” datacentre that will be one of the biggest in the world. If approved, the 52-hectare site will include six four-storey buildings that stretch 40 metres high, alongside 936 cooling units and 852 diesel backup power generat...

By Patrick Commins Economics editor