Data centres are proliferating across Australia as global tech investment pours into the country, drawn by its abundant clean energy, natural gas reserves and available land. The boom, accelerated by the AI surge following ChatGPT's 2022 launch, has brought economic benefits that experts say helped stave off recession, but it is also fuelling growing unease among residents who find themselves living metres from vast, noisy facilities.

Australia currently hosts 162 data centres, with 90 more planned and over A$155bn (£80bn) in investment lined up, including what could become one of the world's largest facilities in western Sydney, using one gigawatt of power. In suburbs such as Lane Cove, residents describe constant humming or jet-like noise from nearby sites, while the largest data centre in the Southern Hemisphere is being built just 100m from a community in Marsden Park. Industry figures argue the infrastructure is essential to prevent Australia becoming merely a "user" of AI built elsewhere, citing the country's political stability, skilled workforce and renewable energy potential, even as concerns mount over water use, energy demand and environmental impact.