The Australian government has decided not to move forward with a new rule that would have required data centers to power a portion of their installations with renewable energy.
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First reported by Bloomberg, the decision was revealed following an agreement with state leaders on a national artificial intelligence development plan, with new legislation to be introduced early next year. However, the federal government nixed the renewable energy mandate following objections from two regions.
One of the objectors, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, said that such a mandate should be the decision of state officials, as it owns the whole power system that serves them.
“We believe that we can control our data sovereignty, protect the rights of local communities, and enable that energy mix to bring those data centers on,” Crisafulli said
