By Timothy Duignan, Griffith University The Australian government is going all in on quantum computing. After investing more than $100 million on “quantum technology” in 2021, it is now reportedly considering spending up to $200 million on purchasing a “quantum computer” from a US company. Is this a sensible decision? You might think so, if…
By Toby Walsh, UNSW Sydney Today, the federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic revealed an interim response from the Australian government on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The public, especially the Australian public, have real concerns about AI. And it’s appropriate that they should. AI is a powerful technology…
By Dylan McConnell, UNSW Sydney Australia’s coal power stations will all close in 2038 – five years earlier than previously expected – and variable renewable energy capacity will need to triple by 2030 and increase sevenfold by 2050. These are two key findings in the latest roadmap for Australia’s largest grid and electricity market, the…
By Alison Reeve, Grattan Institute If you listen to the dreamers, hydrogen is the magical fuel of the future that can replace everything from the petrol in your car to the coal in a steelworks. Hype around hydrogen has been building in Australia since at least 2018. Every government has a hydrogen strategy. Hydrogen has…
@AuManufacturing is thrilled to open nominations for the second iteration of our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers campaign. It’s open to all kinds of manufacturers, and is completely free to enter. You can find a nomination form at this link. This time around the theme is “it’s for everybody”. Because innovation is a tool every manufacturer uses,…
The Australian Army has conducted its first live-fire of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) at the Woomera test range in South Australia. While the NASCAMS system, in service globally including in Ukraine, is Norwegian, the Army has integrated unique radar technology from Canberra’s CEA Technologies into its Australian systems. The firing…
By Anna Skarbek, Climateworks Centre; Anna Malos, Monash University, and Michael Li, Monash University Every bit of warming matters if we want to avoid the worst impacts for climate change, as the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows. In 2020, we released modelling showing how Australia could get to net zero…
By David Tuffley, Griffith University A serious cyberattack has disrupted operations at several of Australia’s largest ports, causing delays and congestion. Late on Friday, port operator DP World detected an IT breach that affected critical systems used to coordinate shipping activity. DP World is one of Australia’s largest port operators, handling approximately 40% of the…
By Reuben Finighan, The University of Melbourne This article is part of a series by The Conversation, Getting to Zero, examining Australia’s energy transition. In Australia’s race to net zero emissions, nuclear power has surged back into the news. Opposition leader Peter Dutton argues nuclear is “the only feasible and proven technology” for cutting emissions.…
Pharmaceutical and medicinal cannabis manufacturer IDT Australia has reported a sales turnaround with revenues of $3 million in Q1FY24, up 300 percent on the previous corresponding period. The company told investors it has secured a further $2.1 million in new contracts in October with $4.2 million in contracts at the approval stage. The company’s sales…