Australia proposes linking data centers to access to computing capacity
Australia’s Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton has proposed requiring companies that build data centers in the country to provide part of their computing capacity to Australian businesses, researchers and startups. In his view, this could help Australia gain greater economic returns from the development of artificial intelligence.
As ABC News Australia reports, Australia has become an attractive location for large data centers that consume significant amounts of electricity. The federal government, together with the states and territories, is developing national standards for approving such projects. They are intended to set rules on the location of facilities, as well as their use of electricity and water.
Access to capacity
Charlton noted that data centers themselves create relatively few direct jobs after they are built. Therefore, he said, hosting such facilities alone does not guarantee the country a significant share of the economic benefits they generate.
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Michael Gately, chief executive of Canberra-based AI company Trellis Data, said his company sometimes has to wait months for the required computing capacity, while its cost can change by 50% within a week. He believes reserved resources with price certainty for a specified period should be provided for Australian companies.
Support for local developers
Another problem for AI startups is finding customers in the domestic market. The federal government presented the Buy Australian AI Partnership, an initiative of accelerator Stone & Chalk supported by Australia’s four largest banks. It is intended to help local AI companies find buyers for their products.
Tiliter co-chief executive Christopher Sampson said his company, which develops computer vision systems for retail, first had to prove the technology’s viability in international markets in order to be taken more seriously in Australia. Stone & Chalk chief executive Stella Solar stressed that without access to computing capacity, local developers risk losing some of AI’s economic benefits to other countries.
