Firmus Technologies, a Launceston-based AI infrastructure company, has secured $330 million through an equity raise to accelerate Project Southgate, its flagship development planned for northern Tasmania.
The raise attracted strong interest from Australian investors, with Ellerston Capital taking a cornerstone position and NVIDIA participating as an investor. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
What the $330m is funding
Project Southgate is positioned as a sovereign, renewable-powered “AI factory” campus, planned to scale across two stages and designed to support high-density AI workloads with modern cooling and energy-efficiency features. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
- Location: Northern Tasmania (Launceston region).
- Purpose: AI training and inference infrastructure at scale.
- Design approach: Liquid-cooling and modular build concepts aimed at improving efficiency.
- Hardware ambition: A large NVIDIA GPU footprint planned across staged deployment (as described publicly by Firmus and reported locally). :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
Why Tasmania is part of the pitch
Tasmania’s proposition is simple: abundant renewables, a clear government narrative around a “Green AI Factory Zone”, and an attempt to position the state as a credible destination for sustainable compute. Firmus has actively tied Project Southgate to that broader state vision. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
What this means for businesses watching the AI build-out
This is not just a tech story. It is the “picks and shovels” layer of AI: compute supply, power efficiency, and infrastructure sovereignty. If firms like Firmus succeed, it lowers the barrier for Australian organisations to access serious AI capability without relying entirely on offshore infrastructure.
FAQ: Firmus, Project Southgate and the Green AI Factory Zone
Who invested in the $330m raise?
Firmus stated the raise was supported by Ellerston Capital (cornerstone) with NVIDIA participating as an investor. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
What is Project Southgate?
Project Southgate is Firmus’ planned AI factory campus in northern Tasmania, designed to host high-density AI workloads using modern cooling and efficiency-led infrastructure. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
Is Tasmania actually building an AI Factory Zone?
Public statements and reporting describe a Tasmanian “Green AI Factory Zone” concept tied to renewable-powered AI infrastructure, with Firmus positioned as a key project within that narrative. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
Original sources: Firmus newsroom announcement and local reporting. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
