Microsoft $25b Aussie spend; fuel supplies jump; Trump, FIFA and Iran v Italy
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to Fear and Greed, business news you can use today.
What is Microsoft's $25 billion investment in Australia about?
Microsoft promises to spend $25 billion on data centres in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia now has 46 days of fuel supply, 10 more than when the war started.
How has Australia's fuel supply changed since the war began?
And an envoy of Donald Trump... approached football's governing body, FIFA, and suggested Italy replace Iran in the June World Cup in the US.
What controversial proposal did a Trump envoy make to FIFA regarding the World Cup?
Plus, rich Australians are getting richer, and a robot beats a human in a high-stakes game of table tennis.
Why are rich Australians getting richer, and what does it mean for the economy?
It is Friday, the 24th of April, 2026. I'm Michael Thompson, and good morning, Sean Aylmer.
How did a robot outperform human players in a table tennis match?
Why do you think the stakes were in the table tennis game? Well, I mean, they're very high.
What are the implications of Microsoft's AI training initiatives for Australians?
Bragging rights, I think.
How is the situation in the Middle East affecting global markets?
Oh, yeah. That's about it, I think. We've had a run of good AI robot stories. We'll get to that one a little bit later on, though. The main story this morning, Sean, Australia's reputation as a global data centre hub has been boosted by Microsoft's decision. to invest $25 billion over the next three years in data centers in this country. It is the biggest ever investment by a global technology company in Australia and follows last week's announcement by ASX-listed NextDC to raise billions of dollars to boost its portfolio of data centers and a promise as well by Amazon Web Services to spend $20 billion locally. Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella was in Sydney yesterday. He met with the PM and he announced that Microsoft will train 3 million Aussies with workforce-ready AI skills by 2028.
Also plans to launch a free program for teachers and school leaders to build confidence in using AI responsibly, critically.
Very important. The company signed a memorandum of understanding supporting the Albanese government's framework on data centres and AI makers, including the expectation that new projects add electricity supply to cover all or part of their usage. They must also use water sustainably, invest in local jobs and prove they were working in Australia's national interest. The new data centre spending commitment from Microsoft was welcomed by the Albanese government. It, of course, is trying to turn this country into a regional hub for international data centre investment. Yesterday, the Prime Minister said the investment aligned with his national plan to ensure all Australians benefited from AI and were protected from the risks.
Now, details of how the $25 billion will be spent hasn't been finalised. Could, though, prove lucrative for the growing number of Australian data centre operators like AirTrunk, CDC, data centres, NextDC?
Sean. Michael. Is building data centres, and I'm going to insist on still calling them data centres, and I realise that it is bugging you. I can see this little twitch in your eyebrow every time I say data instead of data. But is it a good thing? I mean, at face value, obviously it is, you would say, but there's also... question of kind of some of the flow-on effects or the inputs and the effects that that can have. Things like energy usage, water, not to mention probably the impact that AI will have on the jobs market.
Yes, I mean, I'm with you. Generally, it's a good thing. You don't want to fall behind, but all those issues are real issues. Nadella said he knew big tech companies had to convince the public that they had a social license to build AI infrastructure, and Microsoft needs to do that. He said the upheaval in the job market from artificial intelligence was inevitable. but not necessarily destructive if companies like his worked with governments to ensure their worst societal benefits. Now, Nadella said training people in AI tools would be important across many professions. He's optimistic that inevitable job losses would be outweighed by new career opportunities. Clearly, the AI revolution is happening, and it's happening amid an energy transition.
And I think it's fairly obvious the next few years is going to be really, really tough. But Nadella's point, and it's hard to argue, it's inevitable.
Yeah. I'll mention now, Sean, fear and greed Q&A coming up after the show today because we've been doing a bit of work with Microsoft, which means we've actually seen some of these announcements firsthand.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:06–0:09
2
What is Microsoft's $25 billion investment in Australia about?
0:09–0:21
3
How has Australia's fuel supply changed since the war began?
0:21–0:29
4
What controversial proposal did a Trump envoy make to FIFA regarding the World Cup?
0:29–0:36
5
Why are rich Australians getting richer, and what does it mean for the economy?
0:36–0:42
6
How did a robot outperform human players in a table tennis match?
0:42–0:47
7
What are the implications of Microsoft's AI training initiatives for Australians?
0:47–0:48
8
How is the situation in the Middle East affecting global markets?
0:48–18:03
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from FEAR & GREED | Business News
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