As data centres expand at unprecedented speed, concerns around power demand, water use and competition for land are increasingly in the spotlight. Globally, these pressures risk casting data centres as competitors for resources rather than enablers of growth. Yet these same challenges also create opportunity: data centres can act as catalysts for shared infrastructure, driving investment in renewable energy, recycled water and resilient utility systems that benefit both industry and communities.

 

This session explores how shifting from a standalone facility model to an integrated precinct approach can reduce delivery risk, build social licence and strengthen long-term competitiveness. Drawing on TBH’s six decades of experience delivering complex water and energy infrastructure, together with insights from more than 100 hyperscale projects worldwide, this discussion will highlight how coordinated planning and shared utility design can reframe data centres from a source of strain to a cornerstone of sustainable urban and regional development.