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“Every country on earth is grappling with these challenges right now. Australia will be the first country in the world to bring these issues into a single, national framework,” the prime minister said in his speech. One part of this policy will enforce a “legal obligation” for data centers to produce the same amount of power that they consume, ensuring that their presence does not put an unnecessary burden on the power grid that would result in increased utility prices for the average citizen. It also wants to ensure that these projects be as water efficient as possible, especially given that Australia is the driest populated continent on Earth, according to the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Center (IGRAC).
Aside from concern for data centers’ use of natural resources, the Australian government also wants to ensure that the intellectual property rights of its people are protected. Albanese said that Australian creators, including writers, musicians, artists, and news reporters, should “retain control of the price and value of their work” when used for AI training. “Anything less is theft. No country has got this right yet,” says the prime minister.
While some business industry groups expressed their support for the government’s goal, they were also a bit cautious, saying that overregulation could mean that Australia will miss out on the opportunities the AI data centers will bring for the company. University of New South Wales in Sydney professor Toby Walsh, who specializes in Artificial Intelligence, also told The Times that the PM is on the right track, as it addresses the concerns that most Australians have regarding AI and the infrastructure behind it. However, these are just planned policies, and the regulation behind them must still be worked out. “The devil will be in the details exactly what they do,” says Prof. Walsh.
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US energy regulator to order grid operators to expedite AI data center applications — says projects should bring their own power or cut usage during high demand
AI data centers trigger massive 'irreversible' 76% electricity price spike in largest US region
AI data center bans are rapidly multiplying across the US
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/policy/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/policy/ai-data-centers-must-produce-as-much-power-as-they-use-australia-pm-says-new-national-ai-framework-will-also-ensure-water-efficiency-and-protect-intellectual-property-rights#main
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