Australia's energy debate is asking the wrong question. Rather than focusing on how we'll power growing cloud and AI demand, we should be asking how that demand can help build the energy system Australia needs.

Long-term digital infrastructure investment provides something few industries can: decades of predictable electricity demand, committed capital and known locations. That certainty can unlock earlier investment in renewable generation, storage and transmission, strengthening the entire electricity system.

In this keynote, AirTrunk's Sabooh Whitelaw challenges the traditional approach to energy planning, arguing that Australia's competitive advantage lies in building from data centre demand, not simply for it. The opportunity isn't just to power digital infrastructure. It's to use that demand to accelerate the energy infrastructure Australia needs anyway, creating a larger, stronger and more resilient electricity system for everyone.