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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Technology
Patrick Commins Economics editor

Thirsty and power hungry: Australia is in the middle of a datacentre boom – but are they good for the economy?

Australia United States Pat Bustamante Sally Auld Economy The Climate Council
Red and white vertical pipes run along the dark exterior facade of a data center
A datacentre in Sydney. There are about 160 datacentres operating in Australia, with another 90 proposed. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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 generators.

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