A national project aimed at optimising energy use and emissions of Australia's data centres using next‑generation quantum and artificial intelligence technologies has received Federal funding.
The project, a collaboration between La Trobe University and The University of Western Australia's Centre for Quantum Information, Simulation and Algorithms, led by Professor Jingbo Wang, received the $1.1 million grant under the Federal Government's National Critical Technologies Challenge Program.
World-leading AI and quantum researchers, together with their industry partners at NextDC, Fujitsu and AQ Intelligence, will develop technologies that keep data centres cooler while using less energy and emitting less carbon.
Professor Damminda Alahakoon, project leader and Director of La Trobe's Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, said data centres were a critical backbone of Australia's digital economy, and their rapid expansion – driven by cloud computing and AI – had already delivered sustainability gains, moving operations out of inefficient office buildings into specialised facilities.
Image: Professor Jingbo Wang.
Professor Wang said the grant would enable researchers to develop a sophisticated hybrid optimisation framework that combines quantum‑inspired algorithms, quantum machine learning and advanced classical optimisation to manage heating, ventilation and cooling systems more efficiently.
"By combining advanced quantum and AI techniques with industry-scale testing, we aim to show how emerging technologies can directly reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions," she said.
Beyond data centres, the optimisation framework developed at La Trobe University and UWA has potential applications across industries such as manufacturing, logistics, smart buildings and renewable energy systems.
The project directly supports Australia's National Quantum Strategy by accelerating the translation of world‑leading research into practical, industry‑ready solutions and by building skills in Australia's growing quantum workforce.
