Farquhar’s data centre dream
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After a notable absence during the election, the topic of AI made a grand appearance in Canberra earlier this week. Billionaire Atlassian co-founder and current chair of the Tech Council of Australia Scott Farquhar addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday to push for action on AI.
The address came with an awkward backdrop, following fresh reports that the tech giant would cut 150 customer support jobs as well as stories run in The Australian alleging an acrimonious split between Farquhar and his co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes . Yet Cannon-Brookes was in attendance, with the two posing for photos together, seemingly suggesting that ‘there’s nothing to see here’.
Farquhar’s message laid out his vision for Australia’s role in the race for AI supremacy. At the centre of his vision are data centres. A dominant position in the AI chips market is likely far out of reach for Australia. But Farquhar showed fierce optimism about Australia’s future in the data centre market, thanks to vast land, abundant energy resources and proximity to the booming Southeast Asia market.
He summed up this sentiment in response to a question from Capital Brief’s Finn McHugh on Australia’s position in the AI race. An avid cycling fan, Farquhar said, “as a Tour de France fan, you also appreciate the different jerseys…There are multiple races going on at the same time. You can be a winner in one and a loser in another.”
Here’s what else happened this week…
'Why not use AI?': Gilbert + Tobin leans in on artificial intelligence
Gilbert + Tobin is embracing artificial intelligence across its legal practice. CEO Sam Nickless said the firm is shifting to a “why not use AI?” mindset. “We are building a culture where people should not be embarrassed about bringing AI into their work,” he said.
With initiatives like its in-house chat tool ‘Gilbot’ and the rollout of Harvey to 650 lawyers, Gilbert + Tobin is leaning into a hybrid model where AI and professionals collaborate to deliver legal services more efficiently.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Capital Brief’s Michael Pelly , senior leaders at the law firm discussed how AI is reshaping legal practice, where it works best, whether firms should build or buy AI tools — and whether it will mean lower legal bills and fewer lawyers.
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Nine’s $700m question
This week, Capital Brief launched its fifth specialist newsletter, The Signal, covering the media and where it meets power politics, policy and technology. Capital Brief’s key media reporter John Buckley ’s first instalment for The Signal was about Nine Entertainment and the growing speculation around its publishing assets.
There’s been increasing interest in what Nine Entertainment might offload next following its $1.4 billion windfall from the sale of its 60% stake in Domain . There has been chatter amongst some senior publishing staff about whether the company might soon consider selling off its newspaper mastheads, which include The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review. Some investors believe the AFR alone could fetch up to $700 million.
The Blackbird-backed startup betting on the end of Google's search dominance
As digital advertisers grapple with Google’s search dominance being reshaped by ChatGPT and its peers, former Atlassian and Dovetail designer Kai Forsyth spies an opportunity.
His new startup Hall has emerged from stealth with $2 million in pre-seed funding from Blackbird . Hall provides SEO-style tools for AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, riding the wave of a growing field called AI search optimisation (AISO). As AI continues to evolve how users search online, Hall helps businesses track how their products appear on these platforms.
Sydney crypto fund JellyC bets $75m on Franklin Templeton-led pilot to woo big super
Sydney crypto fund JellyC - Digital Asset Management is investing over US$50 million into a new “collateral mirroring” program spun up by Franklin Templeton , Standard Chartered and exchange OKX in hopes to win investments from Australia’s superannuation funds.
The program is designed to reassure superfunds that are wary of crypto market collapses as exemplified by FTX. Tokenised money market funds are used as collateral, held by Standard Chartered, to protect investors’ capital even if exchanges fail. "We are the first fund in the APAC region going ahead with this," said JellyC co-founder Michael "Critta" Prendiville . "We're setting ourself up so wealth managers and institutions can allocate to us."
Call 1800-HIGH-COURT
Earlier this week, the High Court launched its new website, switched to LinkedIn and unveiled a national hotline – all part of a broader push to improve public access. The new site was accompanied by a national 1800 number that replaced separate contact lines for the court in Canberra and the Sydney and Melbourne registries.
If there’s one aspect of this revamp that Capital Brief’s Michael Pelly was delighted about, it was being able to properly access the High Court website on his mobile. A substantial feat, especially given the High Court’s last major website update was in 2011.
Verbatim of the week
We're hitting Bowen pubs tonight.
– Gilmour Space Technologies CEO Adam Gilmour , speaking to Capital Brief following the launch of the company's Eris rocket at Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
This is a condensed summary of The Edition, our flagship weekday newsletter, and your afternoon debrief on the biggest stories across Capital Brief. Sign up now.