Sydney Shines as a Global AI Powerhouse

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HQ Asia Pacific

28th Sep, 2024

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Destinations - Asia Pacific

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© Science Students - UNSW

Sydney is a lot more than a sunny, welcoming city famed for its tourist icons and golden beaches. It’s also home to a flourishing AI industry, with half of Australia’s AI companies and the highest number of tech firms doing great work there.

A joint report by CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and the Tech Council of Australia, found Sydney is home to 119,636 digital professionals and 81 digital technology companies listed on the ASX (Australian Stock Exchange) with a combined worth of A$52 billion. AI is infusing all areas of this tech landscape.

“Sydney is the capital of AI startups for Australia and this part of Australasia,” according to Professor Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

He cites robotics, AI in medicine and fintech as three areas where Sydney leads the world in AI innovation.

“As a whole, Australia punches well above its weight in the AI sector,” Professor Walsh says. “We’re easily in the top 10, and by some metrics, we’re in the top five in the world. For a country of just 25 million people, that is quite remarkable.”

© Scientia Professor Toby Walsh at UNSW Sydney

Sydney’s universities at the forefront of AI research

A key to Sydney’s success in the sector is the strength of its universities, which are producing outstanding research. In 2021, the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) collectively produced more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications in artificial intelligence, contributing significantly to the field’s development.

According to CSIRO, Australia’s research and development sector has higher rates of AI adoption than global averages, with Sydney presenting the highest AI publishing intensity among Australian universities and research institutes. Professor Aaron Quigley, Science Director and Deputy Director of CSIRO’s Data61 and an adjunct Professor in the School of Computer Science in UNSW Engineering, says Sydney’s educational pipeline supplies a useful talent pool.

“Sydney’s AI sector is backed up by the fact that you have such a large educational environment with universities like UTS, the University of Sydney and UNSW,” he says. “They rank in the top five of AI locations in Australia.”

UNSW’s AI Institute also has the largest concentration of academics working in AI in the country, adds Professor Walsh.

“One of the main reasons the AI Institute exists at UNSW is to be a front door to industry and government, to help translate the technology out of the laboratory and into practice,” he says.

Likewise, the Sydney Artificial Intelligence Centre at the University of Sydney, the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute at UTS and Macquarie University’s Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence are producing world-leading research in collaboration with industry. Alongside the universities, the National AI Centre, established by the Australian Government and managed by the CSIRO in Sydney, aims to enhance Australia’s AI ecosystem through collaboration among government, industry and research sectors.

Synergies in Sydney: where tech titans converge

Sydney’s vortex of tech talent has meant exciting connections and collaborations are happening at lightning speed, allowing the growth of several high-value industries, from quantum computing and science to cybersecurity and gaming. The intersection between quantum computing and AI will come into focus with the April 2024 announcement of a new $18.4 million Australian Centre for Quantum Growth at Sydney University. This centre will aim to build strategic and lasting relationships that drive innovation to increase the nation’s competitiveness within the field. Funded under the Australian Government’s National Quantum Strategy, it aims to promote the industry and enhance Australia’s global standing.

“There’s a huge amount of experience in the quantum space in Sydney,” says Professor Quigley. “Then you have a large number of companies and researchers working in cybersecurity, so you have the cybersecurity-AI nexus as well. Then you’ve got a large number of media companies and gaming companies in Sydney, so you’ve got the interconnection between gaming and creative technologies and AI. So it’s a confluence of different industry spaces, and if you come here, you can tap into these different specialisms. There’s nowhere else in the world that you’re going to get a quantum company, a games company, and a cybersecurity company in such close proximity across this super-cluster arc located in Sydney.”

A global hub for AI innovation and collaboration

In addition to its research and industry achievements in the AI sector, Sydney is also a leading destination for AI conferences and events. The annual Women in AI Asia Pacific Conference is held in Sydney each year, adding much-needed diversity to the mix. Additionally, the prestigious International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence was held in Sydney in 2022 and is expected to return in 2028.

Overall, Sydney’s integrated approach to AI development, characterised by strong academic output, supportive government policies, and vibrant commercial activity, firmly establishes it as a leader in the global AI landscape.

To discover more about how Sydney is shaping the future of AI, visit Besydney.com.au or download our latest eBook on Sydney’s Science & Engineering industry, detailing Sydney’s pivotal role in global scientific advancements.