Jun 22, 2026 – 5.00amWhen NSW’s Investment Delivery Authority decided to back 15 data centre projects worth $52 billion, the sites of two-thirds of the proposed digital engines of growth were in western Sydney.But the data centre boom propping up Australia’s growth rate is just the latest wave of investment into the sprawling region that contains almost one-third of the NSW population.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Paul KarpNSW political correspondentPaul Karp is The Australian Financial Review’s NSW political correspondent.Fetching latest articles
Data centres and airport city draw $31b to western Sydney
Data centres are the newest $14 billion drawcard to the west, after the airport. But residents need other infrastructure to benefit from the jobs they bring.
TL;DRAI
NSW backed 15 data centre projects worth $52 billion, with two-thirds in western Sydney—a strategic pivot toward distributed regional digital infrastructure. For tech leaders, this signals growing opportunities in edge compute, data residency strategies, and regional ecosystem scaling beyond metro hubs.
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