Avnet and AMD aren’t just talking about Australia’s AI future—they just drove it more than 4,000 kilometers across the country.

The partners have wrapped up the inaugural “AMD on Wheels” national roadshow, a multi-city tour spanning Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide, designed to bring advanced AI and high-performance computing (HPC) solutions directly to Australia’s innovation hubs. The message was clear: the next phase of AI growth won’t be built on isolated components or lab demos, but on deployable, energy-efficient systems that can scale responsibly into real-world use.

Fittingly, the roadshow itself reflected that philosophy. The entire journey was completed using pure electric vehicles—the ZEEKR 7X and ZEEKR 009— underscoring a parallel commitment to sustainability and energy-efficient computing.

From Components to Complete AI Systems

Rather than spotlighting individual chips or boards, Avnet and AMD focused the tour on end-to-end AI and HPC solutions—secure, adaptable infrastructure that can move from pilot projects to production environments. This shift mirrors a broader trend across the enterprise and public sectors: AI success increasingly depends on integration, supply chain reliability, and operational readiness, not just raw performance.

That context matters for Australia. Analysts estimate that AI could add as much as AU$142 billion annually to Australia’s GDP by 2030 in an ambitious scenario, according to the Australia’s AI Opportunity report (2025). Capturing that value, however, requires infrastructure that balances performance with power efficiency, governance, and long-term sustainability.

Avnet and AMD positioned themselves as enablers of exactly that foundation.

“Avnet and AMD are strategically invested in advancing Australia’s capability in Responsible AI and next-generation computing,” said Tan Aik Hoon, Regional President for South Asia, Korea and Avnet United. “Beyond distribution, Avnet helps innovators transform advanced AMD hardware into scalable, sustainable solutions that strengthen Australia’s competitive edge.”

Responsibility and Efficiency as Competitive Advantages

A recurring theme throughout the roadshow was that responsible AI is no longer optional. Energy consumption, secure supply chains, and system resilience are now core considerations for governments, enterprises, and research institutions alike.

AMD reinforced this point by emphasizing its focus on energy-efficient computing, particularly in embedded and adaptive platforms that can deliver AI performance without excessive power draw.

“The next wave of AI innovation in Australia must be built on a foundation of Responsibility and Efficiency,” said Steven Fong, Corporate Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan Embedded Sales at AMD. “We are committed to delivering the energy-efficient computing power that fuels this responsible acceleration.”

That positioning resonates as organizations weigh the environmental and operational costs of AI at scale—especially in sectors like defense, space, and advanced manufacturing.

Scaling AI Requires Collaboration, Not Silos

One of the roadshow’s central discussions, the “Industry Collaboration for AI at Scale” panel, tackled a challenge that plagues many innovation ecosystems: moving from promising pilots to full-scale deployment.

The consensus was blunt. Australia’s next innovation leap depends on cross-sector collaboration—linking academia, startups, enterprise, and global technology partners. Without that connective tissue, breakthroughs risk stalling before they reach market.

The roadshow backed up that argument with concrete examples from Australian companies already making the leap.

Advanced Navigation: Space-Grade Precision, Made Local

Advanced Navigation showcased how local innovation can reach global, space-ready standards. Through the “Avnet to the Moon” initiative, the company developed its Laser Measurement Unit for Navigational Aid (LUNA)—a precision system designed to operate in space and extreme environments.

With technology and supply chain support from Avnet and AMD, LUNA demonstrates how Australian companies can deliver mission-critical reliability while strengthening the country’s role in the global space supply chain.

Quantum Brilliance: Turning Quantum from Research to Revenue

For Quantum Brilliance, the challenge wasn’t theoretical physics—it was scaling hardware amid global supply constraints. By transitioning to the AVNET+ AMD–based ADRS1000 system-on-module, the company moved from prototypes toward commercial deployment.

Avnet’s ability to secure timely delivery despite shortages proved decisive, highlighting an often-overlooked reality of frontier technologies: innovation doesn’t scale without dependable supply chains. In quantum computing, that reliability can mean the difference between market leadership and missed opportunity.

Liquid Instruments: Agentic AI Comes to Test and Measurement

Liquid Instruments offered a glimpse into how AI is reshaping engineering workflows. Its Moku platform, powered by AMD FPGAs, is introducing Generative Instrumentation and agentic AI—tools that allow engineers to create and configure test instruments using natural language.

Set to launch with Moku:Delta in 2026, the approach promises faster experimentation and smarter workflows across research and manufacturing. With backing from Avnet and AMD, Liquid Instruments is showing how AI can compress development cycles without sacrificing precision.

Silentium Defence: Passive Radar at Production Scale

In the defense domain, Silentium Defence demonstrated how long-term collaboration accelerates complex technologies. Its SWaP-optimized passive radar systems, built on AMD technology, have progressed from early prototypes to production-ready platforms.

Avnet’s global supply chain and engineering support played a key role, enabling Silentium Defence to deliver advanced sensing capabilities for defense, space surveillance, and critical infrastructure customers worldwide.

A Blueprint, Not a One-Off Tour

Avnet and AMD are positioning “AMD on Wheels” as more than a marketing exercise. Instead, they describe it as a blueprint for Australia’s AI future—one that connects world-class research with commercial deployment through reliable infrastructure and partnerships.

By aligning advanced processors, secure supply chains, and ecosystem collaboration, the partners aim to help Australia build resilience in a global AI landscape that’s becoming increasingly competitive—and geopolitically complex.

If the roadshow proved anything, it’s that Australia’s AI opportunity won’t be unlocked by isolated breakthroughs. It will be driven by systems that work, scale, and endure—and by partnerships that know how to turn ambition into deployment.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.