Rob Coyle sits down with David Hirst, CEO of Macquarie Data Centres, for a deep look at the rapid changes shaping data centers in the age of AI.

David shares why Australia’s sovereign approach matters, how AI workloads are shifting design from “real estate” to “chip-out thinking,” and why early collaboration across hyperscalers, government, and the supply chain is becoming essential.

They explore the unique nature of the Australian market, the rise of liquid cooling and megawatt-per-rack designs, what it takes to build IC3 Super West, and how culture, regulation, and geopolitics all influence where and how AI infrastructure gets built.

A thoughtful conversation for anyone working in AI infrastructure, colocation, hyperscale strategy, or global data centre planning.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

00:27 – Why Australia Is a Prime Data Centre Hub

01:52 – How AI Changed Everything

03:23 – Planning for Bursty, Unpredictable AI Workloads

04:28 – Liquid Cooling and Blurred Boundaries

06:17 – What Makes the Australian Market Different

08:35 – Building in Dense Cities and Working With Communities

10:12 – AI, Culture, and Data Sovereignty

11:22 – Local Requirements and Power Challenges

12:57 – Long-Term Operators vs Short-Term Developers

16:20 – Compliance as a Market Advantage

18:45 – The Critical Role of Data Centres in Modern Life

20:22 – Inside IC3 Super West

21:56 – Designing for a Fast-Changing Future

23:51 – Why AI Behaves Differently Than Cloud

26:43 – The Rise of CDU Innovation

28:09 – Building for 2030 and Beyond

33:27 – What Keeps David Optimistic