New market intelligence platform links AI workload demand, gigawatt-scale data centre growth and connectivity intensity across APAC, with Australia highlighted as a leading-edge AI infrastructure market in the region
Sydney, Australia, 11 May 2026 – Idem Est Research & Advisory today announced the launch of the AI Demand & Connectivity Atlas, a strategic market intelligence platform designed to forecast where AI-driven data centre demand will land across Australia and Asia-Pacific.
The Atlas links data centre supply, workload demand, gigawatt-scale growth and network intensity to model how AI training, AI inference, cloud, video and physical AI workloads are expected to reshape APAC data centre clusters. The platform is designed for fibre and network providers, investors, infrastructure strategy teams, public sector agencies and advisory firms seeking a forward-looking view of AI infrastructure demand.
Australia is emerging as one of APAC’s leading AI infrastructure markets, with its combination of hyperscale cloud expansion, deep data centre pipelines, renewable energy potential, major metro clusters and growing demand for low-latency connectivity. The Atlas forecasts Australia’s IT load rising from 1.5 GW in 2025 to 10.5 GW by 2035, representing an estimated 22% CAGR, with AI-related workloads accounting for approximately 55% of modelled 2035 IT load.
The Australian DC Database identifies 166 operational data centre sites and 106 pipeline sites, with Sydney as the largest current hub, Melbourne as the secondary hub, Brisbane as an emerging hub and Canberra as a secure and government workload node.
“AI infrastructure growth is no longer only a data centre capacity question. It is becoming a power, fibre, backhaul, interconnect and regional planning question,” said Landry Fevre, Managing Director, Idem Est Research & Advisory. “Australia is already one of the region’s most important AI infrastructure markets, and the Atlas shows how AI demand is translating into gigawatt-scale IT load growth and significant connectivity pressure across key metro clusters.”
Australia’s AI infrastructure market outlook
Australia’s forecast highlights the scale of infrastructure planning required as AI workloads increase their share of national data centre demand.
| Forecast metric | Australia output |
| IT load / capacity baseline | 1.5 GW, 2025 |
| IT load / capacity forecast | 10.5 GW, 2035 |
| CAGR, 2025 to 2035 | Approximately 22% |
| Operational data centre sites | 166 |
| Pipeline data centre sites | 106 |
| Largest current hub | Sydney |
| Secondary hub | Melbourne |
| Emerging hub | Brisbane |
| Secure / government workload node | Canberra |
Forecast outputs are designed to support strategy, prioritisation and planning. They should be used alongside site-specific engineering, power-procurement and network-design studies.
AI workloads forecast to drive 55% of Australia’s 2035 modelled IT load
The Atlas forecasts AI-related workloads becoming the largest driver of future data centre demand in Australia. By 2035, the modelled workload mix includes AI inference at 36%, AI training at 14% and physical AI / edge at 5%, bringing the AI-related total to 55% of modelled IT load. General cloud represents 26%, CDN / video 17% and enterprise / WAN 3%.
| Workload category | Share of modelled 2035 IT load |
| General cloud | 26% |
| Enterprise / WAN | 3% |
| CDN / video | 17% |
| AI inference | 36% |
| AI training | 14% |
| Physical AI / edge | 5% |
| AI-related total | 55% |
The Atlas models AI training as more likely to concentrate in larger campus-scale clusters, while AI inference demand is expected to emerge more broadly across metro nodes requiring lower-latency connectivity.
This shift has direct implications for data centre site selection, grid planning, metro fibre deployment, interconnection strategy and long-haul transport network investment.
Sydney West and Melbourne West emerge as major connectivity pressure points
The Atlas’ connectivity layer estimates where AI, cloud and content workloads are likely to create the greatest network pressure. In Australia, the top-ranked connectivity hotspots are Sydney West, Melbourne West and Sydney West / Aerotropolis.
| Rank | Cluster | Modelled connectivity intensity |
| 1 | Sydney West | 1,340 Tbps |
| 2 | Melbourne West | 770 Tbps |
| 3 | Sydney West / Aerotropolis | 493 Tbps |
For network providers, the connectivity layer supports fibre route prioritisation, metro backhaul planning, interconnect strategy and peering ecosystem analysis. The Tbps figures represent modelled aggregate connectivity demand by cluster under the selected workload-intensity scenario.
Beyond site listings: modelling where demand is going
While many data centre datasets focus on where facilities are located, the AI Demand & Connectivity Atlas is designed to show where demand is expected to concentrate. It combines a bottom-up data centre market view with workload allocation, utilisation and ramp-up assumptions to estimate total IT load, AI share of demand, workload mix and connectivity implications by cluster and corridor.
The platform provides three linked market views:
- Workload-based MW forecast
A forward view of data centre demand by cluster, state and region. - AI workload mix
Demand split across AI training, AI inference, physical AI, cloud, enterprise, video and content workloads. - Connectivity demand outlook
Estimated Tbps implications derived from power and workload intensity, designed to support corridor and cluster prioritisation.
Built for infrastructure strategy, investment and planning
The AI Demand & Connectivity Atlas has been developed to help infrastructure stakeholders:
- Identify where AI load is concentrating fastest
- Compare clusters by future digital infrastructure demand
- Prioritise markets for fibre, backhaul and interconnect investment
- Challenge-test public demand assumptions with a bottom-up market benchmark
- Support executive strategy, investment planning and infrastructure prioritisation
Best-fit users include fibre and network infrastructure providers, investors, digital infrastructure strategy teams, government and infrastructure agencies, advisory firms and research teams.
Available across APAC with custom market scopes
The same modelling approach can be applied across selected APAC markets, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Outputs can be scoped at national, state, metro, corridor or custom-cluster level.
The Atlas is delivered on a proposal-led and custom-scoped basis, with optional quarterly updates and delivery formats including executive briefings, CSV, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON and shapefile outputs.
More information is available on the AI Demand & Connectivity Atlas page.
This release was published on openPR.
Media Contact
Landry Fevre
Managing Director
Idem Est Research & Advisory
landry@idemest.com
+61 414 164 100