Could the AI boom add to inflation and the cost of living? The Reserve Bank has lifted the cash rate again to 4.6 per cent and identified three risks: The indefinite conflict in the Middle East, rising energy and fuel prices, and investment in AI driving up global prices.
West of Brisbane is the Western Downs — its highway towns and farming land is home to 35,000 people, sprawling 38,000 square kilometres. The Western Downs Digital Park would be the country's single largest data centre project, and AI company Anthropic has signed an agreement to use part of the proposed $32 billion data centre.
Proponents estimate the data centre project would create 1,500 construction jobs each year during the build. At full capacity, they forecast more than 1,400 direct operational roles and more than 2,000 indirect jobs in the wider community. But construction forecasts warn the demand for workers could peak at the same time as major building and engineering projects, fuelling inflationary pressure.
Tom Hartley reports.
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