Amazon Announces $13 Billion Investment in Australian Data Centers
Amazon has pledged to invest A$20 billion ($13 billion) in Australia between now and 2029 to build data centers, marking the largest investment by a global tech company in the country. This significant financial commitment aims to accelerate AI adoption, enhance productivity, and modernize IT infrastructure for Australian businesses and organizations.
The investment, described as the biggest from a global technology provider in Australia, is expected to generate substantial economic opportunities for Australians. These include the creation of skilled jobs and the development of infrastructure capable of supporting complex AI and supercomputing applications. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized the significance of this investment, stating, “The investment will generate economic opportunity for Australians, including skilled jobs and infrastructure that can support complex AI and supercomputing applications.”
Australia’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources has estimated that AI and automation could contribute up to A$600 billion annually to the nation’s GDP by 2030. Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, expressed the company’s commitment to empowering Australians to innovate at scale through this investment, saying, “AI is a once-in-a-generation transformation, and Amazon is pleased to be empowering all Australians to innovate at scale through this investment.”
To support the power needs of the expanded cloud infrastructure, Amazon is investing in three new solar farms located in Victoria and Queensland. These solar farms will provide more than 170 megawatts of electricity to the data centers. Upon completion, Amazon will operate 11 solar farms across Australia, with a combined capacity of 1.4 million megawatt hours. This is equivalent to powering approximately 290,000 Australian homes each year.
Amazon’s investment in Australia began in 2012 with the establishment of the AWS Asia Pacific (Sydney) Region hub. Since then, the company has expanded its presence by building several new facilities in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Additionally, Amazon has provided training to over 400,000 Australians, equipping them with digital skills to support generative AI programs.
