Bringing AI infrastructure to regional Australia

Australian data centre infrastructure company Treske is highlighting the need for AI and data centre industry experts to bring skills and education to Australia’s regional areas so that businesses across Australia can capitalise on the AI era.

To facilitate this, the company is launching an event series, starting in Newcastle, where experts on AI critical infrastructure will discuss the regional preparedness for AI.

“In non-metro areas, Australia’s technology skills gap is more than a local issue — it’s a national challenge, which needs greater attention,” said Daniel Sargent, Managing Director and Founder of Treske.

“By delivering education right to where it’s needed, we’re aiming to help these regional communities thrive in the fast-paced digital economy, and ultimately, make sure the whole country benefits from the AI revolution — not just the major cities.”

Daniel Sargent, Managing Director and Founder of Treske.

Sargent said that although it was promising to see more and more colocation data centres being built in rural areas, many were still missing the hybrid cloud approach, which requires on-premises infrastructure and on-the-ground skills availability.

“Regional businesses want to adopt AI-powered tech — think Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in local council car parks or autonomous vehicles operating in mine sites or on farms — but they don’t have the data centre infrastructure available, nor [are they] close enough to the action. This means the efficiency and financial ROI these technologies are intended to yield aren’t being demonstrated, which is holding back businesses’ responsiveness to market demands,” he added.

Treske said that businesses across the country were slow to implement artificial intelligence, with 70% of Australian businesses yet to deliver their digital transformation efforts, according to BCG. Globally, 95% of organisations have an AI strategy in place, but only 14% are ready to fully integrate it into their businesses. While there are several factors slowing adoption, AI ultimately requires secure, fast access to data to deliver results, which poses a complex challenge for critical infrastructure resilience and scalability.

Joining Sargent on the panel will be critical infrastructure experts Robert Linsdell, General Manager A/NZ and APAC at Ekkosense; Rob Steel, Channels and Projects Manager at Powershield; Mark Roberts, Asia Pacific IT Business Leader at Rittal; and Adam Wright, Director and Founder at Ecogreen Electrical and Plumbing.

The group will discuss the following topics:

• Power-ready AI adoption: Regional businesses should prepare themselves to grow alongside the AI demands of today and tomorrow through on-premises, energy-efficient, reliable data centre infrastructure. The panel will offer insight into how this can be achieved with a pocketknife of racking, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units, precision cooling and management systems. The panel will also discuss the need for government grants — resembling Australia’s solar power installation incentives — to lift local digital infrastructure resilience and readiness.
• How to overcome the far-flung skills challenge: In addition to the value of nearby industry education events, the panel will discuss how important it is to see tertiary skilled courses rolled out through state TAFEs, where there is generally more presence in the regions. The panel will also examine how robust infrastructure deployments can take pressure off local skills shortages.
• Remote AI wins: The panel will share examples of how AI with resilient infrastructure has succeeded in industries such as agriculture, local government, health care, mining and manufacturing.
   

To register for the 26 March event in Newcastle, visit treske.com.au/events.

Image credit: iStock.com/pixdeluxe