One of Australia's most populous states introduced new regulations prohibiting the construction of data centers in residential areas and requiring projects to “provide their own renewable energy supply.” This series of new regulations is aimed at responding to growing community opposition. Victoria, which owns Melbourne, announced on Tuesday that although data centers are critical to the economy, project parties must take steps to avoid significant impacts on local water and electricity resources. Center-left Labor Party Governor Ben Carroll demanded that the data center's demand for additional electricity must support additional power generation capacity and bear the cost of grid upgrades. At the same time, it is stipulated that only recycled water or non-potable water can be used in the cooling system. Additionally, data centers will not be allowed to be built in residential areas and must maintain a buffer zone of at least 150 meters from any home.

One of Australia's most populous states introduced new regulations prohibiting the construction of data centers in residential areas and requiring projects to “provide their own renewable energy supply.” This series of new regulations is aimed at responding to growing community opposition. Victoria, which owns Melbourne, announced on Tuesday that although data centers are critical to the economy, project parties must take steps to avoid significant impacts on local water and electricity resources. Center-left Labor Party Governor Ben Carroll demanded that the data center's demand for additional electricity must support additional power generation capacity and bear the cost of grid upgrades. At the same time, it is stipulated that only recycled water or non-potable water can be used in the cooling system. Additionally, data centers will not be allowed to be built in residential areas and must maintain a buffer zone of at least 150 meters from any home.