The McGowan Government has released a new prospectus targeting international industry and investors by promoting the State’s potential as a global hub for data centre operations.
With all sectors and businesses increasingly using online platforms and adopting digital technologies, the global volume of data is forecast to grow from 33 zettabytes in 2018 to 175 zettabytes by 2025, making data centres an essential part of the digital economy.
This explosion in data is expected to drive data centre growth in Australia by 4.6 per cent per year until 2026.
The prospectus highlights Western Australia’s advantages for data centre investment, underpinned by the State’s strong environmental, social and governance credentials.
Led by a tech savvy workforce which grew by almost double the national average in 2021-22, WA’s industries are driving the creation and application of data through digital capabilities. This includes high-performance supercomputing, the global Square Kilometre Array and autonomous operations in the resources sector.
WA’s connectivity, low latency and proximity to the Asia Pacific region make the State a great place to invest. Through four international submarine cables, including the recently launched Oman Australia Cable, WA is well connected to major digital global economies of Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
With a growing trend towards the development of green data centres, WA offers some of the world’s best solar, wind, wave and tidal resources, and a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
The State is focused on sustainable ways to utilise its water sources to meet industry needs, and offers large expanses of land for investors to support the development of a range of data centres.
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As stated by State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook:
“WA has the potential to become the Southern Hemisphere’s global hub for data centre operations, underpinning the digital supply chain for a range of industries and creating jobs for the State in this emerging area.
“We see this potential being realised with a growing local data centre industry, which has experienced significant new developments in recent years and increasing interest from global investors considering future expansion.
“WA’s cutting-edge industries in resources, space, health and defence are also increasingly utilising technologies such as artificial intelligence, remote operations and robotics, which will drive large volumes of data and demand for data centres.”
As stated by Innovation and ICT Minister Stephen Dawson:
“Digital and data systems, technologies and capabilities are important for driving productivity, competitiveness and resilience, as well as better social and environmental outcomes for our communities.
“Growing WA’s data centre industry will help fast-track the digital transformation of our industries, strengthen our capabilities in cyber security and digital technology, and ensure sovereign security by enabling data to be hosted onshore.
“Rapidly increasing data generation will continue to drive massive investment in digital infrastructure and data centre operations, which is crucial to the future growth of our digital economy.”
