Thirsty and power hungry: Australia is in the middle of a datacentre boom – but not everyone is convinced (opens in new tab)

They’re a key part of the digital and AI economy, but they come at a high environmental cost and offer few operational jobsGet our , or 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.