The technology powering everything from streaming services to AI chatbots is stepping into the spotlight.
This week, 7NEWS Spotlight goes inside Australia’s rapidly expanding network of data centres, exploring the communities caught between the country’s AI ambitions and growing concerns over their real world impact.
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Across the country, giant data centres are springing up in suburbia and regional communities, some just metres from homes – powering every scroll, every search and every AI prompt reshaping our lives.
But the race to build Australia’s AI revolution is also fuelling a growing backlash, with battles intensifying over water and electricity resources, infrastructure, pollution, and the impact on local communities.
In this must-see 7NEWS Spotlight major investigation to air on Sunday at 8.30pm on Seven and 7plus, Sarah Greenhalgh goes inside Australia’s AI factories – vast data centres processing everything from online searches and streaming services to the AI tools millions now use every day.
As governments and tech giants lead the charge to secure Australia’s place in the global AI boom, critics are raising concerns about the hidden costs. These facilities draw on enormous amounts of electricity and water, while communities fear the centres are being built too close to homes and without enough scrutiny.
From the NSW Southern Highlands to Melbourne’s city centre, 7NEWS Spotlight explores the rapid expansion of an industry expected to transform the country’s economy, and meets the residents, experts and industry leaders grappling with the real-world impact of the data centres already on our doorstep.
The question isn’t whether we need them. It’s what we’re prepared to sacrifice to keep them running. And 7NEWS Spotlight heads to Loudoun County, Virginia – the data centre capital of the world – to see what lessons Australia can learn before it’s too late.
