Sustainable Data Centres: Policy, Challenges, Trade-offs and Future Directions

As demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence accelerates, data centres are becoming essential infrastructure while raising complex questions about sustainability, resource use, and community impact. This policy discussion forum brings together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives, planners, and community stakeholders to explore the challenges and opportunities of sustainable data centre development. Participants will examine emerging trends in data centre growth, assess the effectiveness of current policy settings, and discuss critical issues including energy demand, water use, land use, emissions, and social licence. Through expert discussion and cross-sector dialogue, the forum aims to identify governance gaps, navigate key policy trade-offs, and help shape a practical, forward-looking agenda for sustainable data centre policy and infrastructure planning. We will be drawing on the discussions and lessons from the forum to develop a policy paper and recommendations for a sustainable way forward. Please note: the final session of the day is an in-person workshop for those in the room. Those attending online will unfortunately be unable to participate in this session.