Australia’s data center buildout has hit new heights, turning server farms into one of the country’s strongest economic engines at a time when other parts of the economy are losing steam. Private investment in Australia jumped 6.5% in the first three months of 2026, reaching its highest level in years and far exceeding economists’ expectations of around 1% growth, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). A major driver behind the surge was spending on information, media, and telecommunications equipment, largely tied to data center infrastructure . Companies spent about A$8.7 billion (around $6.2 billion) on building data centers and purchasing servers in the quarter, nearly doubling the level recorded in the previous period. Data centers dominate capital spending Data center-related investment accounted for nearly 17% of all private investment in the quarter, an unprecedented share in records going back nearly two decades.…