Sovereign Australia AI launches with nation’s largest GPU cluster
A new artificial intelligence venture, Sovereign Australia AI, has launched with the aim of providing a locally developed alternative to foreign AI models while focusing on transparency and ethical standards that reflect Australian values.
Sovereign Australia AI is led by founders Troy Neilson and Simon Kriss, who are both experienced figures in the Australian AI sector. The company intends to create foundational AI models that are designed, trained, and hosted within Australia, with a particular emphasis on upholding data sovereignty and adhering to local privacy and security standards.
Leadership and governance
The leadership team combines deep technical expertise, commercial experience, and policy insight. Troy Neilson, who brings over 20 years of startup and commercialisation experience and holds a PhD in AI and Machine Learning, has overseen implementation of AI-driven solutions across diverse industries. Simon Kriss has extensive experience advising corporates, government bodies, and international organisations, including the United Nations, on aligning AI technologies with policy objectives.
Annette Kimmet AM, former Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, has joined the board, strengthening governance and oversight.
Sovereign infrastructure investment
In partnership with Sharon AI, the company has placed an order for 256 Nvidia Blackwell B200 GPUs, representing the largest deployment of such AI hardware by an Australian entity to date. The infrastructure will be housed in Australian-based data centres operated by NEXTDC to ensure all data handling complies with relevant Australian laws and regulations.
The company has earmarked a minimum of AUD $10 million to acquire rights to copyrighted materials required for model training. This approach aims to set a new standard for ethical sourcing and copyright compensation within the field of AI development.
Transparency and ethical focus
"Sovereign Australia AI will ensure we have a homegrown alternative that is ethical, transparent, and built for trust. We believe, as an industry, we must define what we mean when we say 'Ethical AI' - simply saying you are ethical is not enough."
Simon Kriss, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, outlined the company's transparency ambitions, stating that users will be provided with clear information about the data used to train models. The company will also open source the Ginan research model for the public.
Kriss commented: "We want to set that benchmark high - users should be able to understand what datasets the AI they use is trained on. They should be able to be aware of how the data has been curated. They should expect that copyright holders whose data was used to make the model more capable are compensated. That's what we will bring to the table."
Focus on Australian culture
The company's Ginan and Australis models are designed to reflect Australian language, culture and principles, and are developed as an alternative to systems built and hosted overseas. The founders emphasised that AI models built outside of Australia may embed foreign values and biases, highlighting the importance of local control.
"We are not trying to directly compete with ChatGPT or other global models, because we don't need to. Instead, we are creating our own foundational models that will serve as viable alternatives that better capture the Australian voice. There are many public and private organisations in Australia who will greatly benefit from a truly sovereign AI solution, but do not want to sacrifice real-world performance. Our Ginan and Australis models will fill that gap with a capable, ethical alternative."
Troy Neilson, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, stressed the significance of developing Australian AI capabilities for sovereignty and trust rather than direct competition.
He noted: "Building sovereign AI capabilities here at home is a significant technological challenge, but we have the expertise in Australia to get the job done."
Engagement with industry bodies
Sovereign Australia AI has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Computer Society. Under the agreement, Sovereign Australia AI will develop a bespoke AI capability for ACS, serving the professional body that represents Australia's technology workforce.
"ACS is excited to collaborate with Sovereign Australia AI to help ensure Australia's technology workforce has access to sovereign, ethical AI built with our nation's values at its core," said ACS Chief Executive Officer Josh Griggs.
The company describes its approach as proactive and transparent, stating that it will provide open visibility to the data used in its models and open source research models for broader use. It frames this as setting a standard for ethical AI in Australia.
