Australia’s tech news quarterly
December 2023 | November 2023 | October 2023
Q4 2023 technology news in Australia covered developments across a huge range, including: Australia’s fast moves into hydrogen energy production; the growth in Australia’s space technologies sector, spanning both launch and satellite systems; Australia’s quantum technologies research; Australia’s ongoing issues with cybersecurity and datasecurity, following a number of high-profile cyber-attacks; and many more.
Other editions: Asia’s tech news, daily (via LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter/X); and Indo-Pacific technology newsletters, weekly.
Also available:
Critical technologies news across Q4 2023
Critical technologies, quarterly: Q4 2023 news summary
December 2023
- Australia: H2site and Gold Hydrogen partner for Yorke Peninsula natural hydrogen pilot plant using process claiming to recover over 95% of available hydrogen alongside valuable co-products including helium
- Australia: Regulator proposes reforms including targeted consumer protections and codes to prevent anti-competitive conduct by major digital platforms including Amazon and Meta
- Download: ‘The Evolution of Consumer Payments in Australia – Results from the 2022 Consumer Payments Survey’ from the Reserve Bank of Australia (pdf link)
‘More than 40% of shoppers between 18 and 39 use the [buy now, pay later] installment payment offering, the Reserve Bank of Australia said in a study released Sunday…’
“BNPL looks like credit, it acts like credit, it carries the risks of credit,” Australia’s Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said in May.
- Australia, US and UK to collaborate on Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability, with facility set for Western Australia expected to be operational by 2026
- Australia: West Tech Fest secured a further $500K in sponsorship from WA Government, in support of the festival for another 2 years
- Download: The Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Threat Report 2022-2023
ASPI: Australia’s semiconductor manufacturing moonshot: Securing talent
- Australia unveils lunar rover prototype proposed for Australian Space Agency’s $50 million Moon to Mars Trailblazer program, potentially taking part in future NASA Artemis mission
- Australia: Gov’t opens applications for $18.5M funding to establish Australian Centre for Quantum Growth to develop quantum workforce and relationships with international counterparts
- Australia: Arkeus raised Au$4.45M with AI-backed imaging for autonomous drones and aircraft to boost situational awareness, looking to scale production of hyperspectral optical radar tech
- Australia’s AGL energy giant partners US firm, SLB, for large-scale nickel-hydrogen battery trial site in South Australia, looking at stationary energy storage options beyond lithium-ion batteries
- Australia: AGL energy giant and Renewable Metals battery recycling firm partner to investigate viability of lithium battery recycling facility at AGL Hunter Energy Hub
“…[a] Regulatory Digital Twin for Australia’s regulatory system would provide a set of new and essential digital tools for Australia’s innovation agenda… real-time information and a powerful platform for ‘what if’ analysis.”
- Australia: An intro to the 12 technology firms selected by the country’s science agency, CSIRO, for its ON Accelerate program in 2024
- Australia’s Arc Infrastructure railroad operator views prototype demo from US Parallel Systems, showcasing autonomous, battery-electric, self-propelled freight car system, possibly for use in Perth, WA
- Australia: Vantari VR gains $7M pre-A funding with virtual reality-based medical training tech, looking to build on global partnerships already in place
CSIRO: Australian Tech Industry Map
- Australia: Legislation passes prohibiting the use of credit card transactions to fund gambling, covering credit-loan services and digital currencies as well as online gambling accounts
- Australia: Gov’t to allocate $17M for up to 5 industry-specific centres to aid organisations in responsibly applying AI to business practices
- The Coming Boom in Rare Earths: “…it is an unprecedented level of funding and hasn’t been seen from the U.S. government since World War II, basically.”
- Australia: Quasar Satellite Technologies looks to AUKUS Pillar 2 participation with space object monitoring using multi-channel, phased-array antenna
- Australia is working on an ‘intelligence community cloud’ platform, interoperable with US and UK networks, to aid national security agencies in detecting threats using shared data
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: AUKUS and critical minerals
- Australia: Clove raises $4.15M with AI-driven food recipes platform, personalising meals and meal plans alongside providing a platform for enthusiasts to publish recipes
- Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA, awarded $1.64M grant to non-profit EnergyLab, looking to boost support for Australia’s early-stage clean energy startups
- Australia: Green Gravity and Wollongong Resources mining firm partner to explore gravitational energy storage tech at up to 8 sites in New South Wales,, utilizing unused mine shafts
- Australia: University of Technology Sydney unveils investment fund to boost access to capital for university-connected startups
- Australia: NSW government 2023-24 MVP Ventures Program applications open, aiming to help startups and SMEs with innovative products or processes in the state to commercialize and grow
- Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2024 set for late May – details here
Australian Game Developer Survey:
“Revenue in the Australian video game industry has risen to $345.5 million, up 21% on FY2022…”
- Download: Australian Game Development Survey (AGDS) FY 2023 Industry Snapshot (pdf link)
- Australia’s largest grid-forming battery set for construction in New South Wales’ Hunter region, twice the initially-planned size and aiming for mid-2026 operation
- Australia: SparkLabs Cultiv8 agri-food-tech accelerator opens applications for 6th cohort, seeking 10 early-stage startups and founders
- Australia: eSafety Commission online safety regulator opens legal action against Twitter/X Corp over alleged failure to comply with requests to explain how the platform was dealing with exploitation and abuse material
- Australia: Ark Energy lithium-iron phosphate battery approved for construction, with Richmond Valley Battery Energy Storage System set to be the largest of its kind globally on completion
Tech Council of Australia: Australia’s Generative AI opportunity
- Australia: St Vincent’s, the country’s largest non-profit healthcare provider, suffers cyberattack, with uncertainty around what data has been stolen
- Australia: Planning now underway for $425M Riverbend Energy Hub in SA, aiming to convert 200K tonnes of landfill into hydrogen annually upon completion
- Download: ‘An Overview of Cyber Security & Asset Management Standards in the Australian Mining and Minerals Sector’, a June 2023 report from RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation
- Japan’s Nissan carmaker now investigating a cyberattack on Australia and New Zealand business arms, with dealer systems potentially impacted
- Australia division of Japan’s Nissan car maker hackers identified as Akira ransomware gang, with group claiming 100GB of data stolen
Action Plan: Australian Cybersecurity Strategy 2023-2030
November 2023
- Australia: Liontown Resources secures Au$1.13BN backing for completion of Kathleen Valley lithium project, with sights on production by mid-2024
- Australia boosts Ukraine support with package including 3D metal printers, counter-drone systems and 5th-gen early-warning radar aircraft
- Australia: Commonwealth Bank launches ‘scam indicator’ developed in partnership with Quantium Telstra, a JV with Telstra telco, aiming to protect both customer sets
- Australia’s Q-CTRL and Quad Investors Network partner to grow quantum workforce in Australia and US, with quantum-focused Black Opal learning platform made available to TAFE students
Australia & semiconductors:
“For Canberra, such an endeavour is of the same magnitude as America’s historic ‘moonshots’ during the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a once-in-a-generation challenge…”
- Australia: Provectus Algae opens 30K-liter demo facility for growing seaweed additive for livestock feed to reduce methane reduction
- Australia: SunDrive secures $11M to scale copper-based solar cells technology, replacing high-cost silver components with 1000-times more abundant low-cost copper
- ‘Australia and the United Kingdom signed a joint statement to cooperate on quantum technology innovation, research and commercialisation’
- Australia: Andromeda Robotics launches initial trials of prototype companion robot, designed to participate in conversational interaction with aged care residents, utilizing Chat GPT-4 AI
- Australia: Queensland AI Hub launch of Townsville Chapter is set for November 16th
ASPI: Australia’s semiconductor manufacturing moonshot – securing talent
- Australia: Wedgetail Aerospace gains country’s first Civil Aviation Safety Authority approval to run large-scale drones in commercial airspace, with sights on mining sector partnerships
- Australia: Digital Transformation Agency to explore tech options for a whole-of-government approach to the use of generative AI, initially seeing three services areas that may benefit
- Australia’s Stone & Chalk tech hub launches Venture Connect, aiming to connect startups with customers and corporations
- Australia: A quick intro to 8 Australian startups that collectively raised $94M in the past week, working in venues management, aviation, social media and more
- Australia: Major cyber-attack puts ports at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle out of action
- Japan’s Toyota Motor has commenced Melbourne testing of a hydrogen-powered vehicle on public roads, using a HiAce commercial van fitted with a hydrogen engine
AgriFutures evokeAG 2024: 40 Startups and 10 Scaleups
- Australia: Indigenous-led First Australians Capital impact fund secures $3M from US fintech Block, owned by Jack Dorsey
- Australia: SunGas Renewables selected by ABEL Energy, a green hydrogen and methanol project developer, to supply green methanol for a new $1.4BN facility in Tasmania
- Australia: Another look at the country’s opportunities in the global semiconductors industry
“Yet, there is still an opportunity for Australia to capitalise on the rise in demand for semiconductors worldwide by complementing, rather than competing against, this fab construction. The secret lies in shaping policies that create a leading technology development ecosystem which feeds into the global supply chain across semiconductors, memory, and quantum technology – the most advanced applications of semiconductors.”
“Australia could focus on an advanced technology research ecosystem to support fabless semiconductor companies. Coincidentally it is memory and fabless semiconductor companies that have seen the most economic profit from 2015 to 2019 at US$94.9 billion and US$81.6 billion, respectively.”
- Australia: Telstra to expand Intercity Fibre project with additional 5000km of fibre by 2027, including cabling between Darwin and Adelaide
- Australia: A video intro to Cauldron, working on a continuous – rather than batch – microbial fermentation process to successfully commercialize low-value, high-volume animal-product alternatives
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Australia’s north and space
- Australia: ASD Cyber Threat Report 2022-2023 report available now to download, looking in part at the persistent threat that state cyber capabilities pose to the country
- Australia: Uniseed VC fund doubles backers with 5 uni’s joining, allowing the fund to now cover over half of all commercial research output generated by Australian institutions
- Australia: Aerologix drone-tech startup raises $2M with vertical assets inspection focus, acquiring Brazil’s Mappa mapping tech firm to develop North and South America opportunities
- Australia: 13 circular economy startups selected by Boomerang Labs for latest accelerator, working on solutions including food packaging, reusable containers management and more
- Australia: Tide Foundation and RMIT University unveil ‘ineffable cryptography’, a decentralized cybersecurity solution to protect critical infrastructure
AUKUS Jobs: Defense Industry Skills
- Available now: 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, and Cyber Security Action Plan
- Australia to deploy ‘rapid assistance teams’ to support Pacific Islands nations, focusing on cyber issues, composed of experts from both the private sector and intelligence agencies
- A look at Australia’s opportunities in the space launch industry, building on elements including the country’s location allowing launch to orbit at a lower cost
“As I noted in my recent ASPI report, Australia’s north and space, the launch sites at Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory and Bowen in Queensland, and the proposed launch site at Weipa in northern Queensland, are well placed to take advantage of the earth’s rotational energy to achieve orbit at a lower cost.”
“In addition, the southern launch sites at Whaler’s Way in South Australia, and another proposed for Albany in Western Australia, are ideal for launching payloads into polar and sun-synchronous orbits, given the southern orientation and proximity to open ocean.”
- Australia: CSIRO and Swinburne University launch refuelling station for hydrogen produced with electricity from renewable sources, allowing hydrogen cars to travel emissions-free
- Australia: Kmart in Melbourne is now trialling a self-serve ‘click and collect’ kiosk that brings orders to the customer via warehouse robotics
- HSBC Australia unveils new $228M venture debt fund aimed at supporting Australian tech firms, offering loans from $10M to $30M and targeting VC-backed scaleups ready for their next phase of growth
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: AUKUS and critical minerals
- Download: ‘Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040’ (pdf link)
- Australia: Sparc Hydrogen completes first trial of green hydrogen production using ‘water splitting’, using concentrated solar energy to take hydrogen from water molecules
- ICYMI: Startup Muster 2023 Report, providing an overview of Australian startups and supporters
- The Philippines’ FinTech Alliance and Australian Trade & Investment Commission ink MOU to cooperate on boosting trade and investment in the fintech sector
- India Australia Rapid Innovation & Startup Expansion Accelerator has launched, seeking circular economy technologies and solutions
October 2023
- DYNE Maritime, a US venture capital firm, has launched a Au$157M fund to invest in maritime tech related to the AUKUS agreement
- Australia: SXSW Sydney is this month, 15th-22nd – here’s an intro to the startup-related sessions, courtesy of SmartCompany
- Australia: Eden Brew secured $25M Series A with world-first animal-free casein micelle, key ingredient required to emulate traditional dairy
- Australia: MatchBox Exchange, a shipping container marketplace, has been acquired by WiseTech Global logistics firm, with platform matching supply and demand for empty containers
- 1st Australian Cyber Space Forum is set for October 10th in Adelaide
AUKUS Jobs: Defense Industry Skills
- Australia: Power pole-mounted EV chargers to be installed in Hawks Nest to trial feasibility of wider roll-out of kerbside charging points on poles across regional NSW
- Australia: Renewable Metals battery recycling firm closes $8M round to scale and commercialise environmentally friendlier, lower cost lithium-ion battery recycling tech
- Antler early-stage VC lands $60M for Australia II fund, with applications now open for Cohort 11
- Australia: West Tech Fest is set for December 4-8 in Perth, WA, bringing together startups and the tech community
- Circular raises $7.6M, providing consumers in Australia and Singapore with premium tech device access via subscription plans
- Hydrogen Headstart program was launched by Australian Renewable Energy Agency, aiming to develop the hydrogen industry, catalyse clean energy and connect to global supply chains
Achilles: Q2 2023 Supply Chain Resilience Index
- Australia: An intro to ALIAVIA Ventures, backing women-founded startups in Australia and announcing the US close of its first $13.5M fund
- Australia: Gov’t to intro laws enabling central bank to oversee digital wallets including Google Pay and Apple Pay, subjecting wallet services to same scrutiny as credit cards
- Western Australian government sees business case for new hydrogen electrolyser facilities, finding a 2 GW facility could add Au$200M per annum to local economy
- A brief intro to the 12 finalists for Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2023, working on kelp-based building materials, circular economy use of plastic, blockchain traceability and more
- Australia: An intro to Stacked Farm, planning large indoor farms in each capital city, expanding on Queensland facility
BryceTech: Small Satellites in 2023
- Australia’s SeaStock makes finals in MassChallenge Switzerland 2023 with feed ingredients to limit livestock methane emissions, developed from native Australian seaweeds
- Australia: Boundary Power launches trial of standalone power system using solar power and renewable hydrogen hydride battery to store and generate on-demand electricity
- Australia: Pacific Rim Strategic Policy Conference set for November 29-December 1st in Canberra, with the theme ‘International Security and the Rise of Autonomous Weapons’
- Australia: An intro to 8 Australian startups that collectively raised $433M in the past week
- Airwallex, Australia-founded, Singapore-HQd fintech major, to enter Lat-Am markets with acquisition of Mexico’s MexPago, with sights on global payments infrastructure
- Startup World Cup’s Australia Regional Competition is set for November 15th, hosted by the Uni of Queensland, with applications to pitch closing November 9th
McKinsey: The economic potential of artificial intelligence
- ICYMI: Fiji and Australia to cooperate on cybersecurity, with Fiji also pausing China policing agreement in preference of increasing Australia defence ties
- South Australian gov’t appoints 3 global gas and engineering firms as partners from Au$593M hydrogen production, power plant and storage facility
- Australia: CipherStash startup raised $3M with cybersecurity using advanced encryption to prevent data breaches, integrating with multiple programming languages and databases
- Australia: KPMG opens Future Technology Program for applications from early-stage startups focused on workforce solutions
- Australia: Sunshine Coast Airport becomes Australia’s first airport to install BindiMaps, a digital accessible-wayfinding solution benfiting the blind and vision-impaired
SharePass digital communications security
- Australia: An intro to 10 startups that collectively raised $39M in the past week, working in cybersecurity, call centre tech, insurance-tech and more
- ICYMI: US South Pacific Scholarship Program is open for candidates from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
- Singapore: Australia’s Seek employment platform launches JobStreet Express for employers to find ‘semi-skilled’ workers, building on success of the platform in Indonesia
- Japan’s EX-Fusion and Australia’s Electro Optic Systems partner to find laser solutions for space debris, aiming to track and destroy the smallest possible remnants
- New Zealand: FTN Motion electric motorcycle startup to launch flagship Streetdog bike in Australia in 2024, with 80km range, 50km/h top speed, removable battery and more
Australian Signals Directorate Cyber Threat Report 2022-2023
- Indonesia: Stilt Studios raised $10M Series A with sustainably-produced prefabricated modular homes, with sights on Australia as first growth market
- Sequoia India’s Surge accelerator unveils latest cohort, with Australia’s AI-based workforce automation firm, Relevance AI, and employee engagement platform, Mercu, selected
- Mandiri Capital Indonesia and Singapore-Australia early-stage VC, Investible, prep for launch of Global Climate Tech Fund
- Better Bite Ventures backs 3 food-tech startups in latest First Bite funding – Singapore’s Fattastic, Australia’s Pivot Eat, and South Korea’s Everything But
- Singapore: Drive Lah p2p car-sharing service gains $2M funding from ComfortDelGro transport giant, with sights on growth of Australia-focused Drive Mate brand and connected-car tech
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Australian Cyber Security Strategy 2023-2030