This Week's Top Five Stories in the Data Centre Industry

Amazon Adds 430MW of Clean Power for Australian Data Centres

Amazon is expanding its renewable energy footprint in Australia with 430MW of new capacity, directly supporting the power demands of its growing data centre operations.

The company will sign nine new power purchase agreements (PPAs), lifting its total renewable portfolio in the country to 990MW across 20 projects. These agreements form part of a broader strategy to secure reliable electricity for cloud and AI workloads hosted in AWS data centres.

In June 2025, AWS revealed plans for AU$20bn (US$14.4bn) investment in Australian digital infrastructure through 2029. As data centres scale to handle more complex AI workloads, energy demand increases in both volume and intensity, placing greater pressure on grid stability and long-term supply.

Behind AirTrunk’s Entry to India with Lumina Acquisition

AirTrunk is entering the Indian data centre market through the acquisition of Lumina CloudInfra, gaining access to one of the fastest-growing regions for hyperscale and AI infrastructure.

The deal provides AirTrunk with an immediate foothold in India, including Lumina’s development pipeline, customer relationships and operational capabilities. The portfolio includes around 600MW of planned capacity, representing up to US$5bn in future development.

Following the acquisition, AirTrunk’s total operating and planned capacity exceeds 3GW across 20 campuses in six markets – Australia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and now India. The expansion is supported by long-term capital backing from Blackstone and CPPIB.

Microsoft Boosts NZ AI Skills for Cloud and Data Centre Push

Microsoft is expanding its AI and digital skills programme in New Zealand, aiming to train 200,000 people by 2028 as demand for data centre capacity and cloud services increases.

The initiative builds on an earlier commitment to train 100,000 people by 2026, first announced when Microsoft opened its initial hyperscale data centre region in the country. That programme has already reached 75,000 participants, prompting the company to extend its target in line with rising demand for AI skills.

The expansion reflects how workforce development is becoming closely linked to data centre investment. As hyperscale facilities support more AI workloads, organisations require skilled professionals to deploy, manage and optimise these systems.

Behind Meta's US$1bn Tulsa Data Centre Investment

Tulsa, Oklahoma is set to host Meta’s next AI data centre, forming part of the company’s global digital infrastructure that supports its technologies and services.

The facility represents an investment of more than US$1bn in the state, alongside a further US$25m directed towards local infrastructure including roads and water systems.

At the data centre's peak construction, more than 1,000 workers will be expected onsite, with around 100 roles supported once the site becomes operational.

The project places Tulsa within a growing network of data centre locations designed to deliver compute capacity for AI workloads and large-scale digital services.

Nokia's Q1 Boost: Data Centre Growth and AI Workloads

Nokia has entered 2026 with results that show how closely its performance is tied to the expansion of AI, cloud and data centre infrastructure.

The company reports a stronger-than-expected rise in profit, with growth centred on technologies that support high-capacity data movement between sites and systems.

Comparable operating profit increased 54% to US$328m in the first quarter, ahead of the US$292m forecast by analysts.

Net sales reached US$5.2bn, in line with expectations, while overall growth stood at 4% year on year on a constant currency and portfolio basis.

Within that, net sales from AI and cloud customers climbed 49%, pointing to sustained investment in data centre capacity and connectivity.