Socialist Alliance opposes the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centres being pushed by the Victorian Labor government.

Socialist Alliance supports calls by grassroots groups for a moratorium on new approvals and the construction of new data centres until enforceable community and environmental safeguards are legislated.

The push to rapidly build AI data centres all over Australia is being pushed by big tech corporations who want to make massive profits at the expense of the environment and communities.

The expansion of mega data centres in Australia is mostly unregulated. State governments are competing to attract more mega data centres to their states with the offer of subsidies and fast-tracking approvals.

The Victorian government is fast-tracking data centre applications in the hope of becoming the data centre capital of Australia. That is why there is an avalanche of data centre applications in the state.

Environmental experts have raised the alarm that the rapid expansion of AI data centres threatens to derail the renewable energy transitions.

There is major concern that Victoria’s electricity supply won’t be able to cope with all the proposed mega data centres if they all get built.

That is because AI data........

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