How the ‘Nerd Reich’ is gaslighting Australia on data centres

In a special Q&A episode of *Cut Through*, Rachel puts your questions to long-time *Crikey* contributors, climate analyst Ketan Joshi and Dr Ben Eltham, about the unfortunate topic de jour: the rapid proliferation of data centres. What are they? Do we actually need them? And what is the benefit — if any — of having them operate on Australian soil? Plus, the AI wins we’ve had so far, and how this is a critical time in the battle against the normalisation of energy-guzzling, slop-producing data warehouses. Today’s episode covers: - What exactly is a data centre and do we need them? - Artificial intelligence, energy use and personal responsibility - Does Australia actually benefit from housing data centres? - “Sovereignty-washing” and the lie of frontier models - How the rest of the world is dealing with data centres - The best-case scenario Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above. Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [letters@crikey.com.au](mailto:letters@crikey.com.au) or contact us using the secure methods detailed here. Read more: Canberra is ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ on AI. Where will it take us? Doomsday AI cultists aren’t just good marketers — they’re capturing governments What Ireland’s cautionary tale on data centres can teach Australia NVIDIA’S AI Climate hoax Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [letters@crikey.com.au](mailto:letters@crikey.com.au) or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription! Sign up to *Crikey*’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you. * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.