New South Wales hosts the largest data centre pipeline in the country. The state has set out principles for managing that growth; the task now is turning principles into consistent assessment practice, so speed and scrutiny travel together.

The NSW framework

Update, August 2026: the NSW Government has released its Data Centre Policy Framework and Guidelines: six principles, numeric efficiency thresholds (a design PUE of 1.25 or lower, with design water efficiency limits) and a 75-day assessment pathway for compliant projects, alongside reforms so network and water costs are carried by the projects creating them. Our plain English analysis, The 75-day bargain, walks through what the framework does and the verification question it leaves open. Official materials: NSW Data Centre Guidelines.

New South Wales & the Data Centre Opportunity — Strategy & Framework Paper. Written for NSW’s own statutes, energy system and market position.

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NSW AI Infrastructure Governance Framework — Governance Framework. The institutional architecture above the toolkit, mapped to NSW’s own bodies and instruments.

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Tools that work anywhere

The papers sit on DII’s national toolkit, which any jurisdiction can use: the AI Public Benefit Agreement, the Data Centre Planning & Assessment Guide and the free Community Information library of more than 80 plain-English sheets.

Part of DII’s State & Territory Frameworks library. Working on digital infrastructure in New South Wales? We’re glad to hear from you.