The July 2023 round-up of Australia’s tech news covers items including Telstra’s StarLink partnership, Australia’s ongoing challenges with cyber attacks and data breaches, Australian hydrogen power developments, the country’s opportunities in generative artificial intelligence, and more.
Hit the Australian headline links listed to read each tech news article in full – and you can also get an overview here of New Zealand’s tech news in July 2023.
◉ Daily and weekly tech news from across Asia >
Indo-Pacific Space & Earth Conference – Australia – October 23-23 2023
- Australia: Federal gov’t to invest $3.4BN over the next decade to establish Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator in urgent bid to boost Defence innovation in the tech space
- Australia: Telstra, country’s largest telco, partners Musk’s Starlink, stepping into direct competition with gov’t-owned NBN to provide services to rural Australia
- Australia’s VentureCrowd equity crowdfunding platform inks JV with Singapore’s Lightworks Ventures for SE Asia expansion
- Australia: BlackRock global asset manager raises over $500M for Waratah Super Battery construction, aiming for key role in shift from coal power to renewables
“Opposition cyber security spokesman James Paterson conducted an audit that found 3114 drones and other technology manufactured by DJI were in use by at least 38 agencies and departments.”
“DJI was black-listed by the US in October on national security grounds and due to concerns the technology had been used in surveillance against the persecuted Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province.”
“A spokesman for Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neil said the government was considering how it managed the risks associated with manufacturers that could be ‘compelled by foreign governments to act against Australia’s interests’.”
- Australian Signals Directorate, gov’t cyber agency, unveils new cyber training course to be delivered nationally by TAFEcyber, aiming to boost cyber awareness and basic skills
- Australia: Cyber-attack on equestrian competition management site sees data of 10K individuals leaked online, following company’s refusal to respond to extortion
- Australia: Applications open for AgriFutures AgXelerate Program, seeking solutions for industry challenges from environmental sustainability to food production
Australia: “During 2020-21, a quarter of reported cyber attacks…were targeted at critical infrastructure with…education, health, communications, electricity, water and transport most at risk”
- Amazon Web Services launches inaugural Australia-New Zealand Generative AI Accelerator program, providing mentorship and up to $200K in AWS Activate credits
- “TikTok’s Australian director of public policy Ella Woods-Joyce said she knew there were offices in China but didn’t know where the ‘formal headquarters’ were.”
- Australia: Dep’t for Corporate & Digital Dev to invest $7.5M per year for 4 years to lift Northern Territory cybersec controls and capability to protect territory government’s data and critical infrastructure
- Australia: New South Wales gov’t to invest $40M in ‘spatial digital twin’ over next 3 years, delivering a 4D model of the state to allow better planning and outcome predictions on infrastructure projects
- Australia: The Best Of Moi direct-to-consumer brand lands $850K pre-seed funding to boost product development for more convenient liquid dietary supplements
Australia: SXSW Sydney 2023 – October 15-22
- Australia: Q-CTRL quantum technology firm partnered by Dep’t of Defence to develop sensors for ‘quantum-assured’ navigation in locations lacking GPS coverage, including space and undersea
- Australia: Black Nova early-stage VC targets $35M fund’s first close in 6 months, looking at backing firms in the Aus-NZ business-to-business tech industry
- Australian Competition & Consumer Commission: “”…consumers may not be aware that their information is being collected, stored and sold by third-party data brokers with whom they have no direct relationship.”
- Australia: Gov’t selects HawkEye 360 for remote-sensing satellites to aid with illegal fishing activity detection using radio-frequency sensors, in support of Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
Tech Council of Australia: Australia’s Generative AI opportunity
- Australia: Queensland gov’t backs $8.5M Abbot Point Activation Initiative to advance planning, development and infrastructure for transforming coal port into hydrogen export ‘super hub’
- National Australia Bank blocks Au$270M in payments to ‘high risk’ crypto exchanges between March and July, citing risk of fraud
- Hostplus industry superannuation fund assigns further $100M to existing $210M investment in IP Group Hostplus Innovation Fund, continuing focus on university ‘spin out’ firms
- Australia: Canberra’s 3-month GRIFFIN Accelerator 2023 is open for applications through to August 7th
- West Australian researchers prep for build-out of TeraNet, laser-satellite data communications network capable of transmission 1000 times faster than radio
- Australia Post looks to ‘digital twin’ of delivery network, seeing use of graph database tech to make real-time predictive and proactive decisions around service efficiency
CSIRO: Australian Tech Industry Map
Australia’s Generative AI Opportunity:
“…GAI could contribute as much as $115 billion a year to Australia’s economy by 2030…improving existing industries and enabling the creation of new products and services.”
- Australia: Main Sequence Ventures, VC arm of gov’t research agency, hits $450M first close on 3rd deep-tech focused fund, taking total under management to $1BN
- Australia: East Kimberley Clean Energy Project to be country’s first 100% renewable hydrogen and ammonia production hub, with first-of-kind partnership with traditional owners of land
- Australia: Gold Hydrogen to commence drilling on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula following detection of naturally-occurring hydrogen in soil samples
- Australia: “…by our count 26 startups have raised a combined $311.7M in July, with 2 weeks of more than $100M bolstering this figure.”
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: AUKUS and critical minerals
- Australia: 2nd offshore wind zone announced to support manufacturing and energy security in New South Wales, potentially generating 5GW renewable wind energy to power near 4.2M homes
- Australia: A brief intro to the 12 startups selected for the Techstars Tech Central program in Sydney, working on solutions in women’s health, construction, coding and more
- Australia: Tech Council advisory group adds working group to advocate for reform on digital identity and digital credentials initiatives
How US tech workers boost the growth of Australia’s tech ecosystem
New Zealand tech in July 2023
- New Zealand: NewFish biotech nutrition startup gains partnerships to identify strains of microalgae most likely to work as new, sustainable alternative proteins
- New Zealand: Inzpec launches connects real estate due diligence platform, connecting property buyers with qualified property inspectors to provide one-stop-shop for property-related due diligence
- New Zealand: An intro to a number of NZ’s female founders and tech leaders
- New Zealand’s Computer Emergency Response Team to merge with Nat’l Cyber Security Centre to form single agency to provide advice and response on incidents across every threat level
Australia & New Zealand:
“Over half of ANZ organisations hit by ransomware…almost 4 in 5 organisations in ANZ expect to pay a ransom if they could recover data and business processes…”
- Amazon Web Services launches inaugural Australia-New Zealand Generative AI Accelerator program, providing mentorship and up to $200K in AWS Activate credits
- Australia: Black Nova early-stage VC targets $35M fund’s first close in 6 months, looking at backing firms in the Aus-NZ business-to-business tech industry
United States, Taiwan & Semiconductors: Critical Supply Chain Partnership
ASIA TECH: DAILY & WEEKLY
All-day tech news updates from across South & Southeast Asia and the broad Indo-Pacific region:
- Asia’s tech news daily:
On Twitter / On Facebook / On LinkedIn / Mobile app - Asia tech weekly newsletters:
Substack newsletter / LinkedIn newsletter
