• Market Dynamics & Growth
  • Investment & Capital Flows
  • Policy & Regulation
  • Power & Energy Infrastructure
  • Sustainability & ESG
  • Site Selection & Planning
  • Design & Construction Innovation
  • Future-Proof Cooling & Efficiency
  • Adaptive Reuse & Retrofit Strategies
  • AI, Cloud & Emerging Tech Drivers
The infrastructure behind the AI economy

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming every major industry — from banking and mining to healthcare, retail and government. But AI doesn’t exist without infrastructure.

It requires data centres, energy, land, capital and connectivity.

The Data Centre Leaders Summit 2027 brings together the organisations responsible for delivering this infrastructure – and the companies driving demand for it.

This is where Australia’s AI infrastructure future is defined.

Attendees
500 +
Speakers
40 +
Exhibitors
20 +
Roundtables
0 +
2026 Speakers

Nabeel Mahmood

Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist

Simon Cooper

Group Chief Development Officer, NEXTDC

Glenn Uidam

Chief Operations Officer, CDC Data Centres

Jing Zhou

Senior Director, Data Center, Alternatives and Strategic Transactions, Nuveen (Hong Kong)

Anik Akhtar

Co-Chief Executive Officer, INSITE DC

Sumit Mukhija

Group Chief Executive Officer, DCI Data Centers
Kate Mitchell

Kate Mitchell

Fund Manager – Data Centres, Centuria Capital Group

Daniel Howard

NEXTDC, Chief Development Officer, Hyperscale

WHAT'S NEW IN 2026

A new era for the Data Centre Leaders Summit.

In 2027, the Summit evolves beyond a traditional data centre event.

NEW AUDIENCE, BROADER PERSPECTIVE

We're bringing the full ecosystem into one room — from hyperscalers and AI companies to enterprise leaders, energy providers, government and investors.

DEEPER FOCUS ON AI DEMAND

Explore how AI adoption is accelerating across industries — and what that means for infrastructure, capacity and long-term planning.

ENERGY MOVES TO CENTRE STAGE

A sharper focus on the energy systems required to power AI — from grid capacity to renewables and firming solutions.

INFRASTRUCTURE AT A NEW SCALE

Understand what it takes to deliver the next generation of data centre infrastructure — and the investment required to make it happen.

One of the most valuable forums for understanding where the data centre and AI market is heading in Australia

Hyperscaler

I really enjoyed networking with vendors, peers, stakeholders, and was energised to see the DC industry come together

Amazon Web Services

A highly relevant and well-curated forum that brought together the right mix of developers, operators and infrastructure partners

Alinta Energy

An exceptionally well-organised forum enabling infrastructure partners to address the next wave of data center demands

Nuveen

High quality speakers and excellent networking opportunities.

Built Environs

The event ran like clockwork. A testament to the professionalism of the organiser.

Stilcon Steel

A great balance of DC operator experience and great interaction with exhibitors

Controlworks

It feels like the entire data centre supply chain has been gathered here under one roof

Mai Capital

Great two days of discussions and networking opportunities

WSP

The Summit continues to grow in both scale and impact across the region

Neoscape

Excellent content and great access to key decision makers in the industry

Civilcast

The full AI infrastructure ecosystem

The Summit brings together senior decision makers from across:

why become a partner?

Connect with the organisations driving infrastructure investment

SVG Icon

Thought Leadership Presentations

Establish pre-eminence amongst your peers and position your brand at the centre of the AI economy.

Branding And Signage

Multiple opportunities exist before, during and after the event.

Roundtable Hosting

Lead a roundtable of industry professionals in this powerful, interactive format.

Networking

The Summit provides partners with direct access to: Data centre operators and developers, Hyperscalers and AI companies, Enterprise organisations deploying AI and Energy providers and infrastructure investors.

Lead Generation

Generate new business opportunities from a highly targeted audience.

Showcase

The exhibition is the place to showcase and build relationships with decision makers.

who SHOULD PARTNER?

Advisory, sales, leasing & valuation firms

Financiers

Architecture & Design Firms

Construction & Fit-out Firms

Engineering Firms

Urban Planning Firms

Legal Firms

Power and cooling solutions

ESG/Sustainability solutions

Cabling & Networks

Facilities Management

WHY ATTEND

KEY THEMES

Two days. One critical challenge.

Day 1 — The AI Economy

Understanding demand for infrastructure

  • AI adoption across industries
  • Hyperscale infrastructure expansion
  • Investment trends and capital flows
  • Enterprise use cases driving growth
Day 2 — Powering AI

Energy and infrastructure delivery

  • The energy challenge of AI
  • Renewable energy and data centres
  • Grid capacity and power strategy
  • Construction, design and delivery
WHAT NOT TO MISS

EXHIBITION AREA
EXHIBITION AREA
The Exhibition Area brings together leading solution providers and senior decision-makers. Explore the latest innovations, discover new partners, and connect with the people driving the data centre sector forward.
ROUNDTABLES
ROUNDTABLES
Small, interactive, and peer-led. These focused sessions create space for open discussion, testing new ideas, sharing lessons learned, and tackling challenges head-on with industry peers.
NETWORKING EVENTS
NETWORKING EVENTS
Take part on Networking Drinks and VIP breakfasts and lunches run by our partners.
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE
The entire conference convenes in a unified forum to look at the macro drivers, policies, strategies and partnerships needed to transform Australia's Data Centre sector.
17th - 18th March 2026 - Sydney

2026 Conference Schedule

Day 1 - 17th March 2026

08:00

Conference registration & morning coffee

09:00

Chairs opening remarks

Rana Qadir, President - Melbourne Chapter, AFCOM

REALISING THE AUSTRALIAN DATA CENTRE OPPORTUNITY

09:05

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Embracing Disruption: Examining the global outlook and the future of Data Centres

As a global technology futurist, Nabeel is widely regarded as a leader in data centre development, innovation, and sustainability. In this extended keynote session, he will discuss where we stand today, the challenges we face, and what needs to change to unlock future potential – both in Australia and globally. Have your questions ready!

  • Demystifying technology for the masses and the role of AI
  • The current state of the data centre industry
  • What’s broken and what needs to be fixed
  • Where we’re headed and what the future could look like
  • Embracing disruption across emerging frontiers such as nuclear energy, immersion cooling, sustainable power, space exploration, fusion vs. fission, and quantum computing
Nabeel Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist
09:25

Charting the future: What’s next for Australia’s data centre industry?

As one of the country’s largest developers and operators, CDC Data Centres sits at the forefront of digital infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand. In this opening keynote, we will deliver a strategic market outlook, offering a big-picture perspective on how demand, investment, security, and sovereign capability are shaping the future of the industry – and where it’s heading next.

  • Strategic shifts: How cloud, AI, and sovereign needs are redefining growth
  • National outlook: Expansion opportunities and constraints across major markets
  • Industry leadership: The role of long-term strategy in ensuring resilience and competitiveness
Glenn Uidam, Chief Operations Officer, CDC Data Centres
09:45

PANEL: How do we make Australia the major data centre hub for South-East Asia?

Australia’s data centre sector is poised for significant expansion, offering a wealth of opportunities for investment, economic growth, and technological advancement. Addressing the challenges related to energy consumption, sustainability, and security will be crucial for realising the full potential of this rapidly maturing asset class.  This high-level discussion will bring together senior leaders to explore the massive data centre opportunity for Australia. Our panellists will discuss strategies for enabling the rapid construction of more data centres as well as the energy and people required to power them.

  • Australia’s competitive position as a regional hub for South-East Asia
  • Balancing growth with sustainability, energy, and security
  • Ensuring reliable, scalable, and efficient power and cooling infrastructure
  • Meeting future demand driven by AI and digital transformation
Panellists include:
Sumit Mukhija, Group Chief Executive Officer, DCI Data Centers
Glenn Uidam, Chief Operations Officer, CDC Data Centres
Daniel Howard, NEXTDC, Chief Development Officer, Hyperscale
Rob Hammond, Director, Global Data Centre Lead, TBH
Tony Gaunt, Vice President Product Management, Vertiv
Moderated by:
Nabeel Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist
10:25

AI and the Future of Data Centre Architectures

AI is driving unprecedented compute demand, reshaping everything from chip architecture to power and cooling strategies. In this keynote, learn why the next generation of data centres must operate as AI Factories, and how Schneider Electric is enabling scalable, energy‑efficient AI infrastructure. A must‑see for leaders building tomorrow’s digital backbone.

Mark Deguara, General Manager Data Centres Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric
10:45

The physical edge of security in data centres

As data centres grow denser and more multi-tenanted, many security and operational risks now emerge at the rack level. This session examines why operators are placing greater emphasis on rack-level access control, auditability, and system integration to improve accountability and consistency when managing data-centre operations across multiple sites, states, and countries. 

Shi Song Tan, Director, Regional Sales (Asia), TZ
10:50

Morning refreshments and exhibition viewing

11:25

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLES

Delegates break into small focus groups of 20 and participate in 2 quickfire, facilitated 30-minute roundtable discussions. Each session allows for a deep dive into specific topics of interest, maximising exposure to new ideas, peer-to-peer learning, and practical takeaways in a highly interactive format.

Roundtable 1: Using reality driven site intelligence to scale rapid data centre deployment
Facilitated by: Darah CallanSenior Customer Success Manager, Evercam

Roundtable 2: Reframing the narrative: Winning public trust in Data Centres
Facilitated by: Andrew Green, Former Associate Director Data Centres, Datacom

Roundtable 3: Compliance implications and considerations for Data Centres
Facilitated by: Heath McNab, Managing Director, MBC Group

Roundtable 4: Addressing the human capital deficit: Building the workforce behind data centres
Facilitated by: Nabeel Mahmood, Managing Director, Nomad Futurist (USA)

Roundtable 5: Navigating grid capacity and connection challenges
Facilitated by: Janne Paananen, Data Center Systems Architect, Eaton (Finland) and Thusitha DadigamuwageHead of Engineering, Eaton ANZ 

Roundtable 6: How to build a Hyperscale AI Data Centre
Facilitated by: Alex McCarthy, Pacific Data Centre Evangelist, Honeywell

Roundtable 7: Building high-density and AI-ready facilities
Facilitated by: Frank McMahon, Regional Director, Multiplex and Tyler Brenchley, Senior Project Manager, Multiplex

Roundtable 8: From Design to Operations: Realising the Full Value of Data Centre Digital Twins
Facilitated by: Jeff Sharp, Principal Industry Consultant, Octave

Roundtable 9: Lithium‑Ion Battery Systems in Data Centres: Balancing safety, performance, compliance, and total cost of ownership at scale
Facilitated by: Jason Deane, Offer Manager, UPS SystemsSchneider Electric 

Roundtable 10: What is driving the growth in ‘self-build’ data centres in APAC, and how far can the trend go?
Facilitated by: Brendan DessentHead of Legrand Data Centre Solutions, ANZ Legrand

Roundtable 11: Design once Build Better: Speed and sustainability through standardisation
Facilitated by:
Steven Jennings, Senior Sales Manager, Dunnsteel Group and Blake Dunlop, Business Development Manager, Dunnsteel Group 

Roundtable 12: Community-centered site selection for data centres: Balancing location, environmental responsibility and stakeholder engagement
Facilitated by: Anthony Whipps, Data Centre Lead, APAC, GHD

Roundtable 13: Cooling with non-potable water: Alternative water sources for data centre cooling
Facilitated by: Timothy Millott, Managing Director, All Purpose Pumps 

Roundtable 14: Accelerating approvals: How to navigate planning pathways for data centre developments
Facilitated by: Anik Akhtar, Co-Chief Executive Officer, INSITE DC

Darah Callan, Senior Customer Success Manager, Evercam
Andrew Green, AG Squared Consulting, Independent Data Centre Consultant
Heath McNab, Managing Director, MBC Group
Nabeel Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist
Janne Paananen, Data Center Systems Architect, Eaton (Finland)
Thusitha Dadigamuwage, Head of Engineering, Eaton ANZ
Alex McCarthy, Pacific Data Centre Evangelist, Honeywell
Frank McMahon, Regional Director, Multiplex
Tyler Brenchley, Senior Project Manager, Multiplex
Jeff Sharp, Principal Industry Consultant, Octave
Jason Deane, Offer Manager, UPS Systems, Schneider Electric
Brendan Dessent, Head of Legrand Data Centre Solutions, ANZ, Legrand
Steven Jennings, Senior Sales Manager, Dunnsteel
Blake Dunlop, Business Development Manager, Dunnsteel
Anthony Whipps, Data Centre Lead, APAC, GHD
Timothy Millott, Managing Director, All Purpose Pumps
Anik Akhtar, Co-Chief Executive Officer, INSITE DC
12:30

Networking lunch and exhibition viewing

CAPITAL MARKETS & INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

13:30

CAPITAL MARKETS ADDRESS: Global capital, local pressure: Decoding trends shaping data centre investment strategy

As AI accelerates demand and reshapes infrastructure requirements, global investment into the data centre sector is surging – but so are the challenges. This session unpacks the latest development, leasing, and M&A trends across major regions, with a focus on capital flows, site selection constraints, and the evolving risk-return equation. We’ll explore how macroeconomic uncertainty, power availability, and rising construction costs are influencing investment decisions – and what these dynamics mean for Australia’s positioning in the global market.

  • Where capital is flowing: Global hotspots, sector preferences, and emerging markets
  • Power, land, and policy as new gatekeepers of investment
  • M&A activity and shifts in investor profiles
  • AI and sustainability: how tech and ESG are reshaping underwriting models
  • What global trends signal for Australia’s near- and long-term investment outlook
Benjamin Martin-Henry, Executive Director & Head of Private Assets Research, Pacific, MSCI
13:45

PANEL: Tracking capital flows: Navigating investment challenges in a high-growth market

As Australia’s data centre sector continues to expand, investors are keeping a close eye on market dynamics, regulatory shifts, and long-term growth opportunities. This panel brings together leaders from major investment funds to share their perspectives on where capital is flowing, the challenges they’re navigating, and what they see ahead for the sector.

  • Current capital allocation trends across hyperscale, edge, and colocation assets
  • Investor appetite for Australian vs. APAC vs. global data centre markets
  • Regulatory and tax considerations influencing foreign investment in Australian data centres
  • Co-investment models and strategic partnerships
  • How AI demand is reshaping valuation models and underwriting assumptions
Panellists include:
Jing Zhou, Senior Director, Data Center, Alternatives and Strategic Transactions, Nuveen (Hong Kong)
Kate Mitchell, Fund Manager – Data Centres, Centuria Capital Group
Fredrik Johansson, Founder and Managing Director, Balder Investment (Singapore)
Moderated by:
Benjamin Martin-Henry, Executive Director & Head of Private Assets Research, Pacific, MSCI

POWERING DATA CENTRES SUSTAINABLY

14:25

Redefining data centre infrastructure

Get a clear view of how data centre infrastructure is evolving to keep pace with increasing demand from AI.  In this presentation, Kirk will cover the practical shifts making that possible: effective power distribution, modular prefabrication, smarter control and automation, better energy-efficiency, and renewable energy integration. 

Kirk Wetherrell, Head of Data Centres Vertical, Siemens AU/NZ
14:45

INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY: Rethinking sustainability: New pathways to greener data centre infrastructure

As pressure grows to reduce environmental impact while meeting surging digital demand, the data centre industry is re-evaluating how sustainability is defined – and delivered. In this case study, we explore the latest innovations driving measurable change in how facilities are powered, cooled, and built. From circular design principles and low-carbon materials to on-site renewables, grid participation, and nature-based offsets, what’s really moving the needle?

  • Redefining sustainability metrics and measuring true impact
  • Integrating renewable energy and advanced cooling technologies at scale
  • Balancing cost, compliance, and innovation in the race to net-zero
Kavickumar Muruganathan, ESG Policy & Planning Director APAC, Microsoft (Singapore)
15:05

Afternoon refreshments & exhibition viewing

15:45

INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY - AI: Powering the data centres of the future

With AI driving unprecedented demand, the question of power has never been more critical. This session will look at global and local perspectives on grid capacity and explore strategies to manage the rising impact of AI workloads.

  • Managing grid capacity requirements: global and local outlook
  • Mitigating challenges of AI-driven workloads
  • Building resilience for the next generation of data centres
Janne Paananen, Data Center Systems Architect, Eaton (Finland)
16:05

LOCKNOTE PANEL - Feeding the future: Rethinking grid readiness and power solutions for data centres

As demand for compute accelerates, data centres face mounting pressure to secure reliable, scalable, and low-carbon power. This panel brings together leaders from the energy, infrastructure, and data centre sectors to unpack the evolving energy mix – from grid constraints and renewable integration to the role of emerging sources like small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). How are operators planning for long-term energy resilience? What policy changes and investments are needed to accelerate clean energy adoption at scale?

  • Diversifying power sources: solar, wind, battery storage, and nuclear
  • Grid constraints, connection delays, and demand flexibility
  • The economics and viability of SMRs in the data centre landscape
  • Building partnerships with utilities, governments, and investors
  • Ensuring sustainability while meeting scale and uptime requirements
Panellists include:
Shayne Kumar, Head of Energy, NEXTDC
Richard Pawlik, General Manager Contestable Connections, AusNet
Laura Caspari, Chief Renewables Officer, ENGIE Au
Liam McWhirter, General Manager for Enterprise and Strategic Clients, Origin
Andrew Sjoquist, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, WinDC
Moderated by:
Anuja Walavalkar, Head of Pre-Sales and Offer Management, Schneider Electric
16:45

FIRESIDE CHAT: From strategy to site: Aligning investment goals with project delivery

This session will explore how investment goals influence design choices, risk management, and timelines, and how aligning capital strategy with on-the-ground realities can drive scalable, efficient, and future-ready data centres.

  • Translating capital strategy into practical design, delivery, and operational decisions
  • Balancing investor priorities with construction realities, risks, and timelines
  • Driving scalability and efficiency through closer alignment between finance and project teams
Simon Cooper, Group Chief Development Officer, NEXTDC
In conversation with:
Nabeel Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist
17:10

Networking Drinks

18:30

Close of Day 1

Join Timothy Hibbert, Head of Property & Building Forecasting at Oxford Economics, as he explores the rapid growth and economic significance of data centres across Australia. With data centres to be one of Australia’s most significant investment frontiers, attendees will gain valuable insight into the broader construction landscape ahead. In this session, Timothy will provide a comprehensive state of play for data centre development, including:

  • Resource competition with other construction sectors
  • Power and water supply pressures
  • Global trade risks
  • The broader economic and construction implications

Day 2 - 18th March 2026

09:00

Chairs opening remarks

Join Timothy Hibbert, Head of Property & Building Forecasting at Oxford Economics, as he explores the rapid growth and economic significance of data centres across Australia. With data centres to be one of Australia’s most significant investment frontiers, attendees will gain valuable insight into the broader construction landscape ahead. In this session, Timothy will provide a comprehensive state of play for data centre development, including:

  • Resource competition with other construction sectors
  • Power and water supply pressures
  • Global trade risks
  • The broader economic and construction implications
Tim Gentle, President Sydney Chapter, AFCOM

BUILDING DATA CENTRES BIGGER & FASTER

09:05

MACRO-ECONOMIC CONSTRUCTION FORECAST: The rise of Data Centre construction in Australia - Opportunities and challenges ahead

Join Timothy Hibbert, Head of Property & Building Forecasting at Oxford Economics, as he explores the rapid growth and economic significance of data centres across Australia. With data centres to be one of Australia’s most significant investment frontiers, attendees will gain valuable insight into the broader construction landscape ahead. In this session, Timothy will provide a comprehensive state of play for data centre development, including:

  • Resource competition with other construction sectors
  • Power and water supply pressures
  • Global trade risks
  • The broader economic and construction implications
Timothy Hibbert, Head of Property & Building Forecasting, Oxford Economics
09:25

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: From compute to consequence – beyond capacity: Where AI infrastructure delivers real-world outcomes.

This session explores how AI infrastructure is evolving from a capacity-led conversation to one centred on deployment, inference, sustained utilisation and real-world outcomes. Sumit will explore why frontier AI training, while critical, is exceptional rather than representative, and what this shift means for infrastructure design, cooling and water choices, capital allocation and policy. The intent is to offer the audience a forward-looking, practical and differentiated perspective on where AI infrastructure is actually creating value.

  • The shift from AI-ready to AI-relevant infrastructure, with sustained utilisation, trust and time-to-compute as the real differentiators
  • How power, cooling and water should be viewed as design and optimisation choices, not binary constraints
  • What this evolution means in practice for operators, governments and capital as AI infrastructure moves beyond capacity toward outcomes.
Sumit Mukhija, Group Chief Executive Officer, DCI Data Centers
09:45

PANEL SCENE SETTER: Delivering scale: Building high-density data centres in a high-demand market

In this opening address, Michael will set the scene by reflecting on the evolving demands of large-scale construction in this sector. He’ll touch on how companies like Evolution Precast are adapting their approach to meet tighter timelines, design complexity, and sustainability expectations – laying the groundwork for a broader conversation on scaling delivery in a high-demand market.

Nick Leos, Founder & Managing Director, Evolution Precast
09:50

OPENING PANEL - Delivering scale: Building high-density data centres in a high-demand market

Australia’s data centre boom is placing unprecedented pressure on construction teams to deliver faster, larger, and more resilient projects – all while navigating land constraints, labour shortages, and supply chain volatility. In this opening discussion, leading contractors and delivery partners share how they’re scaling up to meet demand, managing risk across complex builds, and adapting to the evolving needs of hyperscalers and enterprise clients. From procurement models to cooling innovation and compliance, this session sets the tone for a day focused on construction excellence.

  • Accelerating project delivery while managing risk, cost, and complexity
  • Overcoming land, labour, and supply chain challenges in large-scale builds

Adapting construction strategies to the evolving requirements of hyperscalers and enterprises

Panellists include:
Frank McMahon, Regional Director, Multiplex
Natalie Dragovic, Data Center Facilities Engineering Manager, Fujitsu
Andrew Green, AG Squared Consulting, Independent Data Centre Consultant
Moderated by:
Nick Leos, Founder & Managing Director, Evolution Precast
10:25

PRESENTATION: From blueprint to hyperscale: Accelerating data centre delivery

This session explores the journey of taking hyperscale data centres from design to delivery, highlighting how contractors manage scale, speed, and complexity under tight market pressures. It will unpack the construction strategies, engineering innovations, and approval pathways that enable faster, more resilient, and sustainable builds for hyperscale clients.

  • Streamlining design, approvals, and stakeholder coordination to accelerate delivery
  • Leveraging engineering innovation and modular construction to manage scale and speed
  • Embedding resilience and sustainability into hyperscale build strategies
Frank McMahon, Regional Director, Multiplex
10:45

Morning refreshments & exhibition viewing

11:20

FIRESIDE CHAT: From strategy to site: Aligning investment goals with project delivery

This session will explore how investment goals influence design choices, risk management, and timelines, and how aligning capital strategy with on-the-ground realities can drive scalable, efficient, and future-ready data centres.

  • Translating capital strategy into practical design, delivery, and operational decisions
  • Balancing investor priorities with construction realities, risks, and timelines
  • Driving scalability and efficiency through closer alignment between finance and project teams
Jing Zhou, Senior Director, Data Center, Alternatives and Strategic Transactions, Nuveen (Hong Kong)
In conversation with:
Luke Jackson, Co-Head of Data Centres, Capital Markets, Asia Pacific, JLL
11:40

Race against time

In today’s world, winning business from hyperscalers and other major players comes down to one critical factor: speed. The question isn’t just who can build a data centre, but how fast can it be done? This is where the modular approach changes the game. Instead of months of traditional construction, modular and prefabricated solutions allow us to deliver fully functional, scalable data centres in a fraction of the time, without compromising on quality or reliability. Every day saved is a competitive advantage, and every hour counts in this race against time.

Tony Gaunt, Vice President Product Management, Vertiv
12:00

SPECIAL ADDRESS: A national advocacy perspective on enabling next generation data centre growth

Insights into how national advocacy can help align regulation, infrastructure investment and planning frameworks to accelerate Australia’s digital and AI capacity.

Belinda Dennett, Chief Executive Officer, Data Centres Australia
12:20

PANEL: Unlocking land and navigating planning: Aligning regulation with industry growth

As Australia’s data centre sector rapidly scales, policy frameworks and planning regulations are struggling to keep pace. From zoning and approvals to power infrastructure and ESG compliance, regulatory clarity and coordination have become critical enablers – or blockers – of development. This panel brings together policymakers, industry leaders, and advisors to explore what’s working, where friction points lie, and how regulation can better support sustainable, community-aligned growth across both metropolitan and regional Australia.

  • Addressing land scarcity and zoning bottlenecks in high-demand regions
  • Balancing community engagement, environmental constraints, and infrastructure access
  • Improving coordination between government, utilities, and developers to fast-track delivery
  • Building public understanding of the value data centres deliver – and addressing growing resistance linked to sustainability and resource consumption
  • Unlocking the regional opportunity: enabling edge and hyperscale growth beyond metro hubs
Belinda Dennett, Chief Executive Officer, Data Centres Australia
Nauman Akhtar, Co-Chief Executive Officer, INSITE DC
Fredrik Johansson, Founder and Managing Director, Balder Investment (Singapore)
Michael Gold, General Manager Data Centre Investments, Macquarie Technology Group
Moderated by:
Jennifer Cooper, Director, Urbis
12:55

PRESENTATION: The legal architecture of data centres

This presentation from the global head of data centres at international law firm, White & Case, will explore the key legal challenges shaping data centre acquisition, development, leasing and operations. The session will highlight practical risks, evolving market practices and strategies to mitigate exposures while enabling growth in an intensively competitive sector.

James Dodsworth, Global head of data centres, Partner, London, White & Case (UK)
13:15

Networking lunch & exhibition viewing

PLANNING & DESIGN

14:15

How to build a Hyperscale AI Data Centre

AI-driven growth is pushing data centres to scale faster than ever, while energy constraints, sustainability requirements, regulatory change, and workforce shortages add new complexity. This session explores how to design hyperscale data centres that are scalable, resilient, and future-ready. Drawing on Honeywell’s global experience, the presentation covers the core building blocks of hyperscale design, from lifecycle planning and automation to safety, security, and sustainability. It highlights how integrated controls, advanced analytics, and PLCs can optimise cooling and energy performance, reduce emissions, and improve uptimeWe’ll also highlight the role of end‑to‑end cybersecurity and life‑safety systems in protecting people, assets, and operations as facilities grow in size and complexity. Attendees will gain practical insights into building and operating high-performing, scalable, and sustainable facilities.

Alex McCarthy, Pacific Data Centre Evangelist, Honeywell
14:35

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

In this session, you’ll hear rapid-fire 5-minute presentations from companies at the forefront of data centre innovation followed by a 20-minute panel discussion exploring how their services and solutions are transforming development – boosting delivery speed, improving cost certainty, and supporting sustainability and resilience goals.

Talk 1: Designing today’s Data Centres for tomorrow’s technology
Led by: Heath McNab, Managing Director, MBC Group

Talk 2: Designing for sustainability under real-world constraints: Power, air quality and site risk
Led by: Philipp Schluter, Sustainability and Efficiency Specialist, Camfil

Talk 3: Modular by design: Accelerating scalable and flexible data centre delivery
Led by: 
David Bell, Sustainability and Insights Manager, InfraBuild

Talk 4: Accelerate: Scaling a massive OT network in a modern datacentre
Led by: Rango Chuang, Senior Datacenter Business Development Engineer, Moxa 

Heath McNab, Managing Director, MBC Group
Philipp Schluter, Sustainability and Efficiency Specialist, Camfil
Rango Chuang, Senior Datacenter Business Development Engineer, Moxa
David Bell, Sustainability and Insights Manager, InfraBuild
Moderated by:
Beth Gentle, National Services Manager, Australian IT Services
15:15

LOCKNOTE PANEL: The future of data centre design: Building for performance, scale, and speed

In this fun and engaging audience led session, we look into the future. Leading designers and delivery partners will share how they’re rethinking traditional design principles to meet evolving client needs. From modular construction and prefabrication to smarter coordination with utilities, cooling systems, and consultants, this session explores what’s driving better outcomes in capacity, cost, and carbon.

  • How to embed design flexibility from day one
  • Balancing standardisation and customisation in engineering approaches
  • Coordinating design and approvals to accelerate speed to market
  • Aligning client, builder and consultant expectations for smoother project delivery
John Henderson, General Manager, Centuria DC
Nauman Akhtar, Co-Chief Executive Officer, INSITE DC
Damien Giroud, Chief Executive Officer, Rentaload APAC & Emerging Countries
Sumit Oberoi, Autodesk, Senior Manager, Construction Strategy & Partnerships
Moderated by:
Nabeel Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Futurist
15:50

End of Summit

Event Partners

Headline Partner

REGISTER BEFORE 6th February to save $300

Event Ticket Price

$2295 + gst

2 Day Summit In-person Pass
  • Access to all conference sessions

  • Access to networking opportunities

  • Pot-event session recordings and presentation slides

Buy Ticket

Our 2026 Event Partners

EVENT_NAME

Benefits of Attending

The Supply Chain and Industrial Warehouse Summit is a Hybrid event. This format combines the traditional face-to-face conference with virtual elements, allowing both in-person and virtual attendees to access the same content and networking opportunities simultaneously.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

SVG Icon

Who We Are?

Lorem ipsum dolor amet consectetur as adipiscing elit aliquam purus sit amet of porttitor praesent elementu facilisis on dummy any done fringilla.

Get Directions to the Event

  • Venue

    Sydney Event Centre at The Star

  • Address

    80 Pyrmont St, Top Level, Pyrmont NSW 2009

  • Get Directions
Don't Miss Our Future Updates!

Subscribe Today

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Get Involved