Austin Smidt is an analyst at RAND Australia. His research interests include infrastructure, resilience, water management, and technology development.

Austin previously worked at RAND US as an assistant policy researcher and quantitative analyst, researching global problems including AI, decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) and climate resilience. Projects have included analysing energy constraints to future AI datacentres, advice on DMDU for Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations for Seqwater, and FEMA’s Building Code Strategy.

Prior to joining RAND, Austin was a consultant in the Planning and Infrastructure Economics team at KPMG Australia. He has a M.Phil. in policy analysis from the RAND School of Public Policy and a bachelor's in advanced finance and economics (honours) from the University of Queensland.

Education

M.Phil. in policy analysis, RAND School of Public Policy; Bachelors in advanced finance and economics (honours), University of Queensland

Selected Work

  • Arciniegas Rueda, Ismael, Henri van Soest, Hye Min Park, Austin Smidt, David Gill, Robin Wang, Kelly Klima, and Aisha Najera, Assessing the United States' Additional AI Power Capacity by 2030: Estimating Short-Term Increases in Electricity Generation and the Ability to Meet Growth in Power Demand, RAND Corporation (RR-A3845-1), 2025
  • Arciniegas Rueda, Ismael, Aisha Najera, Austin Smidt, Robin Wang, Hye Min Park, Henri van Soest, and David Gill, Expanding U.S. Net Available Power Capacity by 2030: Barriers and Solutions, RAND Corporation (RR-A3845-2), 2025
  • Arciniegas Rueda, Ismael, Austin Smidt, Robin Wang, Hye Min Park, David Gill, and Henri van Soest, Evaluating Potential Artificial Intelligence Energy Capacity at Different Data Center Sites, RAND Corporation (RR-A3845-3), 2026

Authored by Austin Smidt

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