AirTrunk was sold on an Australian AI boom. How will it be powered?
American data centres are turning to nuclear power for clean, reliable energy. Australian operators don’t have that option.
AirTrunk’s blockbuster $24 billion sale signalled strong market confidence that artificial intelligence will spark a boom in Australia’s data centre industry. What's less clear is how that boom will be powered.
In the United States, data centres seeking clean energy are increasingly turning to nuclear power. This is not currently an option in Australia and, according to some local leaders, is unlikely to become one.
“The social licence for nuclear is almost non-existent, and has been for decades,” said Guy Danskine, managing director of Equinix Australia, which operates 18 data centres.
“It’s healthy to have a conversation about our energy mix … but you know as well as I do, the social licence for nuclear isn’t there. And until something changes dramatically, I think we’re better off focusing on what does have social licence.”
