From the tropics of the Top End to the red dirt of Central Australia, the Northern Territory seems a world away from the rapid development associated with artificial intelligence.
But the NT could soon be at the centre of one of the world’s most controversial industries, with 12 data centre investors eyeing Australia’s most remote jurisdiction.
Why have these companies chosen the NT and is it ready for an AI boom?
As the AI industry arrives in the Northern Territory, Australia’s most isolated and least populated jurisdiction wants to grow its gas and data sectors at the same time.
The NT government has thrown its support behind both industries as 12 data centre proponents eye a range of locations from rural blocks near Darwin to vast cattle stations.
This week’s announcement that the Northern Territory Government has committed more than 185 hectares of land to the proposed Beetaloo Digital Hyperscale AI data centre development is another powerful signal that Australia’s AI infrastructure story is no longer just about Sydney and Melbourne.
With plans for up to 2GW of onsite gas-backed generation supporting hyperscale AI workloads, alongside other major regional developments such as Project Ares, we’re seeing the emergence of an entirely new model for AI infrastructure – one built around energy availability, abundant land, strategic connectivity and proximity to Asia, rather than traditional metropolitan locations.