Australia's AI Boom Fuels Record A$35 Billion Data Centre Funding Surge
The Australian AI infrastructure boom is accelerating rapidly, with data centre operators raising a record A$35 billion so far in 2026. This represents a 46% increase from last year's total of A$24 billion and is more than seven times the average annual amount raised between 2020 and 2024.
New Reserve Bank of Australia analysis shows that much of this expansion is being financed through borrowing, with debt accounting for around 85% of funding raised by Australian data centre operators this year. Around A$25 billion has been raised through syndicated lending during 2026.
The Reserve Bank has identified data centres as one of the main forces behind the recent surge in Australian business investment. Business investment increased 10.4% over the year to the March quarter, with data centre fit-outs among the biggest drivers of the increase.