Capability 1.1.4

Data Storage Infrastructure

Definition

Infrastructure for storing, managing and transferring large-scale datasets required for AI model training and inferencing. Emphasises scalability, throughput, and high speed interconnects (e.g. InfiniBan) for data intensive workloads across research, government and industry.

Examples

Pawsey Supercomputer Research Centre (Acacia data store)
CSIRO's Data Access Portal
AARNet CloudStor replacement.

Indicators

Petabytes (PB) of storage capacity - national data-holding capability
Data throughput (GB/s) speed of access and transfer
High speed interconnects (InfiniBand/Ethernet standards)

National AI Plan

PLAN COMMITMENT

Limited commitment

Strong focus on data centres but no discussion of the role of data storage infrastructure. Limited commitment by government is a missed opportunity to build agency in this enabling capability.

Stocktake

Australia Data Center Storage Market Size & Share Analysis – Growth Trends and Forecasts (2025–2030). Mordor Intelligence. 2025. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/australia-data-center-storage-market
State of the Sector: Australian IT Modernisation and Cloud 2025. Public Sector Network. 17 March 2025. https://publicsectornetwork.com/insight/state-of-the-sector-australian-it-modernisation-and-cloud-2025

Is the Stocktake missing evidence?

Share additional information for potential future Assessments