The AISB Australian Data Centre Pipeline Report brings together every project in the Intelligence Hub. It covers capacity by city and stage, the developers and operators behind each project, AI-focused capacity, power and cooling requirements, construction activity, procurement stages and constraints, and a transparent methodology. Every figure links to its source.
This page summarises the main findings. The full report adds the complete project tables, city chapters and supplier opportunity analysis.
Executive Summary
- Operational base. Australia had about 1.4 GW of operational data centre capacity in 2025 across 162 facilities (DC Byte). Only 3 facilities exceeded 100 MW (CommBank).
- Growth. Forecasts converge on about 3.2 GW of operational capacity by 2030 (DC Byte; Venture Insights: 3,176 MW by FY30).
- Pipeline. Estimates range from ~6 GW (CommBank) to 21.6 GW (DC Byte, all stages) to 67 GW of grid connection requests (AEMO). Committed capacity (3.1 GW, DC Byte) is the realistic near-term pipeline.
- Attrition. About 36% of projects on AEMO's 2025 list have since been cancelled, including more than 30% of those classed as committed.
- Power. NEM data centre consumption is forecast to rise from ~5 TWh to ~34 TWh by 2035-36 (AEMO 2026 ESOO). Sydney basin transmission capacity is largely committed (Transgrid).
- Policy. 2026 brought the federal Expectations (March), the AEMC recommendations (August), the NSW Data Centre Policy Framework (August), Transgrid's capacity allocation policy (August) and Victoria's Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan (September). Federal legislation is expected in early 2027.
- Investment. About $150 billion of construction is expected by 2030 (CommBank).
What's in the Full Report
| Chapter | Contents |
|---|---|
| Australian Capacity | Operational capacity by city; operator shares where published |
| Development Pipeline | Every tracked project by stage, with capacity and source |
| AI Data Centre Pipeline | GPU deployments and AI-specific campuses (Firmus Southgate, S7, M4, Western Downs, Meridien) |
| Sydney | Metro market, northern and city-fringe builds |
| Western Sydney | Eastern Creek, Kemps Creek, Erskine Park, Marsden Park; grid limits; planning issues |
| Melbourne | Western cluster; Victoria's action plan |
| Brisbane and Queensland | Metro facilities; regional mega-proposals |
| Perth and WA | Subsea connectivity; WEM grid; CDC Maddington; Kimberley |
| Canberra | Hosting Certification Framework; government procurement |
| Major Developers | AirTrunk, CDC, NEXTDC, Goodman, STACK, Zerra DC and others |
| Operators | Capacity and campuses by operator |
| Power Demand | AEMO forecasts; connection policy; PPAs and storage |
| Cooling | Liquid cooling adoption; water rules |
| Construction | Pipeline, costs from announced projects, lead times |
| Supplier Opportunities | Which categories are engaged at which stage, by project |
| Procurement | Government panels; private procurement pathways |
| Constraints | Power, water, equipment, labour, approvals |
| Methodology | Sources, verification, definitions, limitations |
Sample: Largest Tracked Projects
| Project | Location | Capacity | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Downs Digital Park | Near Dalby, QLD | 2.16 GW peak | DA lodged |
| Mamre Road campus (AirTrunk, reported) | Kemps Creek, NSW | 1 to 1.2 GW | Amended SSD |
| NEXTDC S7 | Eastern Creek, NSW | 612 to 650 MW | Prepare EIS |
| CDC Marsden Park | Marsden Park, NSW | 504 MW ICT | Under construction |
| Goodman Project Atlas | Eastern Creek, NSW | 500 MVA | Response to submissions |
| STACK SYD01 | Erskine Park, NSW | 450 MW | More information required |
| CDC Laverton | Laverton, VIC | 150 MW / 400 MW+ | Under construction |
| NEXTDC S4 | Horsley Park, NSW | 365 MW | Planning and development |
| AirTrunk MEL2 | North-west Melbourne | 354 MW+ | Announced |
Methodology
- Scope: new data centres and material expansions (generally 5 MW+) in Australia with a primary public source and a named location.
- Sources, in order of preference: planning portals, government agencies, developer and operator announcements, investor disclosures, contractor and consultant records, reputable industry media.
- Capacity: recorded as stated by the source, with its basis (IT load, peak power, MVA). Different bases are not summed without adjustment.
- Discrepancies: conflicting figures are shown side by side with the likely explanation.
- Not disclosed: marked as such, never estimated.
- Verification date: every project carries the date its source was last checked.
- Limitations: private projects without public records are not included. Pipeline totals from third-party sources use their own definitions.
Download
Using this report to win work?
The report shows where the market is going. AISB's Data Centre Revenue Engine helps suppliers act on it: identifying target accounts on the projects that matter to your category, building visibility with them, and tracking opportunities from planning to procurement with Opportunity Radar.
Sources
DC Byte (Apr 2026); CommBank (Aug 2026); Venture Insights (Mar 2026); AEMO 2026 ESOO (Aug 2026); Transgrid (Aug 2026); NSW Government (Aug 2026); Victorian Government (Sep 2026); NSW Planning Portal; operator and developer announcements. Full citations are in the report and on each Hub page.
See something that needs updating? Submit a correction.
