Data centres are booming in Australia - but at what cost?
Australia is rapidly expanding its data centre infrastructure to support the growing AI industry, attracting billions in investment. However, local residents are raising concerns regarding noise pollution, energy consumption, and environmental impact.
Why it matters
The rapid physical expansion of AI infrastructure highlights the tension between technological progress and the quality of life for local communities.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Locals in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove are concerned about the planned construction of four new data centres
The sheer size and noise of data centres are what people tend to notice first. Some say they sound like a jet plane about to take off, others complain of a high-pitched whine.
When Lucy* puts her child to bed, she hears a constant humming. "I'll hear it and think, 'What is that? What is going on?'," she says.
And then she'll remember that the noise is a data centre just 350m (0.2 miles) from her front door in the desirable suburb of Lane Cove, in Sydney's lower north-shore. Another four are in the pipeline at the local industrial park.
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