Renfrey Clarke, Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide

July 1, 2026

Ignoring doubts and protests, the South Australian Labor government of Premier Peter Malinauskas is preparing for a huge expansion of the state’s data centre industry.

“Artificial Intelligence represents the single biggest source of growth in the global economy,” Malinauskas observed on June 23, going on to say that “we need data centres in Australia”.

See also

Green Left Show #84: Is AI destroying the climate?

DeepSeek exposes the soft underbelly of Trump’s tech broligarchy

AI data centres drive fossil fuel emissions, higher power bills

Together with SA’s leading position in renewable energy, Malinauskas argued, his government’s “unashamed pro-jobs and pro-business outlook” make the state “uniquely placed to seize the opportunities of AI”. The government now reportedly plans to engage with AI companies to “establish partnerships and increase support”.