SouthernCrossAI (SCX.ai) and SambaNova Systems have partnered to launch Australia’s first ASIC-based sovereign AI cloud, a platform designed to provide governments and enterprises with secure, high-performance, and energy-efficient onshore AI infrastructure. The collaboration marks a major step in Australia’s mission toward digital independence and sustainable technology leadership.

“For the first time, Australian organisations can run advanced AI entirely onshore — without compromising speed, security, or sovereignty,” said David Keane, CEO of SouthernCrossAI. “Our partnership with SambaNova ensures that every model, byte, and computation remains protected within Australia’s borders while improving efficiency and reducing energy use.”

Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems, added: “Together with SCX, we’re ushering in a new era of sovereign AI — combining the most advanced hardware with a fully compliant national cloud that aligns technical excellence with strategic independence.”

Built for Sovereignty and Security

At the foundation of the SCX sovereign AI cloud are SambaNova’s SN40L chips, delivering enterprise-scale inferencing performance. All data, models, and logs are processed entirely within Australian jurisdiction, adhering to the nation’s highest standards for privacy, protection, and regulatory compliance.

This architecture ensures that Australia joins global leaders in secure, sovereign AI infrastructure.

Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability

Leveraging ASIC-based technology, the platform achieves up to 10× greater energy efficiency than traditional GPU clusters, supported by partnerships with renewable energy providers. The rollout will be backed by state initiatives, driving green innovation and high-tech job creation across Australia’s growing digital economy.

Enterprise-Ready AI at Scale

The SCX platform supports both commercial and open-source foundation models — including OpenAI, Meta’s Llama models, Google’s Gemma, and DeepSeek — alongside customer-owned, fine-tuned models hosted under full intellectual property control.

The first cloud node will launch in New South Wales by late 2025, followed by South Australia in 2026, enabling low-latency, nationwide connectivity for sectors such as healthcare, research, and public administration.

Platform Highlights:

• ASIC-Based Performance: ~3× higher inference throughput with lower power consumption than leading GPU clouds.

• Energy Efficiency: Targets ~10× reduction in energy cost per inference, supporting national sustainability goals.

• Model Flexibility: Supports top open-source and proprietary models, including SCX’s Project MAGPiE, a fine-tuned model built for Australian use cases.

• Nationwide Rollout: Initial NSW node (2025), SA node (1H26), with expansion to all states by end-2026. Deployments leverage existing datacenters to reduce capex and carbon footprint.

“With IRIS Forge, every engineer and operator becomes an AI innovator,” said Keane. “By combining world-class performance with national-level data assurance, SCX’s infrastructure will serve as the technology backbone of Australia’s AI future.”

SouthernCrossAI (SCX.ai) and SambaNova Systems have partnered to launch Australia’s first ASIC-based sovereign AI cloud, a platform designed to provide governments and enterprises with secure, high-performance, and energy-efficient onshore AI infrastructure. The collaboration marks a major step in Australia’s mission toward digital independence and sustainable technology leadership.

“For the first time, Australian organisations can run advanced AI entirely onshore — without compromising speed, security, or sovereignty,” said David Keane, CEO of SouthernCrossAI. “Our partnership with SambaNova ensures that every model, byte, and computation remains protected within Australia’s borders while improving efficiency and reducing energy use.”

Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems, added: “Together with SCX, we’re ushering in a new era of sovereign AI — combining the most advanced hardware with a fully compliant national cloud that aligns technical excellence with strategic independence.”

Built for Sovereignty and Security

At the foundation of the SCX sovereign AI cloud are SambaNova’s SN40L chips, delivering enterprise-scale inferencing performance. All data, models, and logs are processed entirely within Australian jurisdiction, adhering to the nation’s highest standards for privacy, protection, and regulatory compliance.

This architecture ensures that Australia joins global leaders in secure, sovereign AI infrastructure.

Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability

Leveraging ASIC-based technology, the platform achieves up to 10× greater energy efficiency than traditional GPU clusters, supported by partnerships with renewable energy providers. The rollout will be backed by state initiatives, driving green innovation and high-tech job creation across Australia’s growing digital economy.

Enterprise-Ready AI at Scale

The SCX platform supports both commercial and open-source foundation models — including OpenAI, Meta’s Llama models, Google’s Gemma, and DeepSeek — alongside customer-owned, fine-tuned models hosted under full intellectual property control.

The first cloud node will launch in New South Wales by late 2025, followed by South Australia in 2026, enabling low-latency, nationwide connectivity for sectors such as healthcare, research, and public administration.

Platform Highlights:

• ASIC-Based Performance: ~3× higher inference throughput with lower power consumption than leading GPU clouds.

• Energy Efficiency: Targets ~10× reduction in energy cost per inference, supporting national sustainability goals.

• Model Flexibility: Supports top open-source and proprietary models, including SCX’s Project MAGPiE, a fine-tuned model built for Australian use cases.

• Nationwide Rollout: Initial NSW node (2025), SA node (1H26), with expansion to all states by end-2026. Deployments leverage existing datacenters to reduce capex and carbon footprint.

“With IRIS Forge, every engineer and operator becomes an AI innovator,” said Keane. “By combining world-class performance with national-level data assurance, SCX’s infrastructure will serve as the technology backbone of Australia’s AI future.”

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