This interactive event will examine how Australia, and Western Australia in particular, can capture the economic benefits of AI infrastructure while ensuring that data-centre growth is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the economics and infrastructure requirements of the digital economy, driving rapid growth in demand for high-performance computing and data-centre capacity. This growth creates a significant sustainability challenge: data centres are energy-intensive, increasingly concentrated in areas with constrained electricity networks, and can place substantial demands on water, land and other infrastructure.At the same time, they represent a major opportunity for investment, employment, innovation and the acceleration of renewable-energy development. Australia attracted approximately $10 billion in data-centre investment during 2024, while national electricity demand from data centres is expected to increase materially as AI adoption accelerates.

This interactive event will examine how Australia—and Western Australia in particular—can capture the economic benefits of AI infrastructure while ensuring that data-centre growth is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Moreover, the event will consider innovation opportunities in the sustainable development of green data centres with the potential to support Western Australia’s transition to renewable energy.

Leading experts from industry, government, and academia will present the opportunities and issues.  Following the presentations, participants will unpack hypothetical case study scenarios before reporting back to the group in a dynamic interactive session.