The widely quoted '2 GW Australia' headline confuses operating IT load (~1.35 GW) with gross site MW or committed-but-not-commissioned capacity.
The widely quoted 2 GW headline and the 1.35 GW operating figure are not a disagreement, they are two different measurements. Nameplate MVA, gross site MW and deliverable IT MW, and which one an investment case should use.
The same market, five headline numbers
What each house actually measures · house 5 of 5
| House | Measures | Scope quirk | Headline (2025-26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ResearchAndMarkets ResearchAndMarkets (5 Dec 2025) | Facilities census + revenue | Database product; rack-level detail paywalled | 145 existing + 48 upcoming |
The MW vs MVA trap
Site power is frequently quoted as nameplate MVA (apparent power at the connection), while investable capacity is deliverable IT MW after power-usage effectiveness and redundancy.
- Nameplate MVA Apparent power at the connection: how site power is frequently quoted
- Less PUE and redundancy Power-usage effectiveness and redundancy are deducted
- Deliverable IT MW Investable capacity: the basis used throughout this report
ITK Research warns
The widely quoted '2 GW Australia' headline confuses operating IT load (~1.35 GW) with gross site MW or committed-but-not-commissioned capacity.
Operating load vs the '2 GW' headline
This report uses IT MW unless a source explicitly states otherwise, and flags each exception.
Sources
- IBISWorld, as at Oct 2025, Mar 2026
- CBRE Global Data Center Trends, as at 24 Jun 2025
- IMARC, as at 2026
- M3 Property, as at 18 Nov 2025
- ResearchAndMarkets, as at 5 Dec 2025
- ITK Research, as at 11 May 2026
Related
- Why do Australian data centre market size estimates differ so much?
- What counts as the Australian data centre market?
- How much data centre capacity will Australia have in 2030?
- How much of Australia's announced data centre pipeline will actually be built?
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