News

Japanese firms strike deal on Townsville battery plant

A full battery manufacturing supply chain will be operating in Queensland by 2026 after Japanese firms and a local minerals explorer struck a deal to manufacture, market and sell...

Aust-UK deepen online safety cooperation with new pact

Australia and United Kingdom have committed to bilateral cooperation on improving digital online safety and security issues under a new intergovernmental agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding includes references to...

Guardian or gatekeeper? AI’s role in cyber ethics 

As companies deploy generative AI as a frontline defence for critical infrastructure, is governance being overlooked in their bid to avoid cyber threats?  The fine line between agility and...

CSIRO targets startups for AI commercialisation program

A new AI competition for startups has been launched by the CSIRO’s National AI Centre in collaboration with Google Cloud and co-working space Stone and Chalk. Over three months...

APS heavyweights sit out Microsoft Copilot trial

Two of Canberra’s biggest federal government agencies are sitting out a six-month trial of Microsoft Copilot while another 7,400-plus public servants put the generative artificial intelligence assistant through its...

ASCA swamped with long-term R&D proposals

The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s inaugural appeal for long-term R&D projects has been met with an overwhelming response, with nearly 180 proposals submitted by industry and universities. The proposals...

Mining new frontiers: Energy efficiency innovation is key 

“Energy transition is quite scary for many companies in mining,” says Climatech Zero chief executive Peter O’Connell, where the 4.9 per cent carbon reduction goal is daunting.   “We’re currently...

Salesforce to support SA financial management upgrade

The South Australian government has signed a four-year whole of government agreement with Salesforce under which its MuleSoft platform will be integrated with the state’s new cloud-based financial management...

NRF took more than 100 inquiries without a formal process

At least 130 inquires about investment from the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund were made before a formal application channel was established, with businesses accessing multiple pathways in search...

New visa rules to prevent critical tech espionage

Foreign nationals who present an “unreasonable risk of unwanted critical technology knowledge transfer” in areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing could have their visas cancelled from April under...

NEC and D-Wave expand quantum presence in Australia

Japanese conglomerate NEC and D-Wave, a Canadian quantum firm backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and In-Q-Tel, are expanding their presence in Australia, launching two new quantum services to compete...

Calling all tech SMEs: Govt procurement survey 2024

Two signature election commitments that the Albanese government took to the 2022 election were its Buy Australian Plan and the creation of a Future Made in Australia Office. The...