The case for the data centre

Hauser Whittington makes the case for data centres in NZ:

• Data centres turn renewable electricity into exportable machine intelligence – a modern extension of New Zealand’s long history of exporting energy embodied in products.

• Few direct jobs relative to output are a sign of high labour productivity, not a defect. Workers not absorbed by a data centre remain available for other production.

• Large, contracted demand can make new geothermal, wind and solar generation easier to finance, increasing and diversifying electricity supply.

• Higher prices are a signal for new supply. Restricting demand may hold prices down temporarily, but it also removes the incentive to build more generation.

• Water, land, noise and construction effects are local questions that should continue to be assessed site by site through the consenting system.

I think local data centres are a no brainer. The world will be full of data centres. Do we want our data stored and accessed overseas, or do we want reliable, fast local data centres?

Sure where you place a data centre is important, but we have scores of suitable locations.