Firmus raises $2bn to accelerate Project Southgate rollout

Australian AI infrastructure startup Firmus Technologies has received afloat commitments for a $2bn strategical equity concern round, arsenic it moves up with its Project Southgate AI Factory rollout crossed Australia.

The circular includes follow-on information from Coatue and Nvidia, arsenic good arsenic caller concern from funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and different Blackstone vehicles, which the institution collectively referred to arsenic Blackstone. Global trading and exertion steadfast Jane Street is besides participating.

Firmus said the backing volition enactment the adjacent signifier of Project Southgate successful Australia and assistance hole for enlargement into different Asia-Pacific markets.

The institution said it already manufactures its proprietary HyperCube level successful Australia and has grid-aware bundle successful place. It added that the caller superior volition assistance accelerate its home rollout and enactment targeted investments tied to aboriginal expansion.

Firmus said it is processing an AI infrastructure based connected Nvidia's DSX AI Factory Reference Architecture to velocity up deployment, improving tokens per watt, and boosting resiliency astatine scale.

The transaction brings the company's full caller equity raised implicit the past twelvemonth to much than $3bn, and it said its post-money valuation is present supra $10.5bn.

Firmus co-CEO Oliver Curtis said: "This concern allows america to determination connected aggregate fronts astatine once. We're scaling crossed Australia portion fast-tracking our capableness to grow into the wider Asia-Pacific region, including the aboriginal steps down our precocious announced Indonesia improvement that volition service AI-native customers.

"We're excited to spot continued backing from Coatue, Nvidia, Blackstone and Jane Street arsenic we physique 1 of the world's starring AI infrastructure platforms from Australia."

Blackstone elder managing manager John Watson said: "We judge AI infrastructure volition beryllium a foundational operator of planetary growth, and it is among our highest condemnation concern themes. We are pleased to proceed to put successful Firmus and enactment platforms astatine the forefront of AI innovation."

In June this year, the institution announced a semipermanent concern with Nvidia to found a dedicated AI field successful Batam, Indonesia.

Firmus said the field is intended to supply large-scale AI computing resources for enterprise, autarkic bundle vendor and AI-native clients worldwide. Under that agreement, Firmus said it volition make a 360MW Nvidia DSX AI Factory campus, which is acceptable to diagnostic up to 170,000 Nvidia AI accelerators.

"Firmus raises $2bn to accelerate Project Southgate rollout" was primitively created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.