Monash University will transform Australia's sovereign Artificial Intelligence (AI) research capability by investing $60 million to build and operate an advanced AI supercomputer. This will place the University as a leader in AI-driven research within the international higher education and research sector.
The investment will fill a critical gap in Australia's high-performance computing infrastructure, which is currently not meeting research and industry demands, as recently highlighted by the Australian Academy of Science and the Tech Council of Australia.
The platform, Monash AdVanced Environment for Research and Intelligent Computing (MAVERIC), will enable researchers based in Australia's higher education sector to perform large computational projects that currently lie beyond their reach, with MAVERIC representing Monash's founding mission to drive social and technological transformation to meet the challenges of the age for communities and industries.
AI-accelerated supercomputers are disrupting and driving transformative outcomes across a wide range of academic and commercial research, including in health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, climate science and engineering. The results of AI-enabled research are changing lives around the world, building new and exciting business opportunities, and impacting areas such as early disease diagnosis, clinical trials, personalised medicine and drug discovery, amongst many others.
MAVERIC will initially be used to tackle global health challenges, including projects focused on the early detection of cancer, managing the treatment of chronic diseases, empowering clinical trials, and enhancing our scientists' ability to efficiently and cost-effectively identify new medicines.
Further, MAVERIC will support planetary health and climate change research through the analysis of large and complex datasets such as those that relate to air quality, the Antarctic, the impact of heat on populations, and how climate change drives the spread of infectious diseases.
Monash's sector-leading investment in this world-leading research infrastructure will enable clinicians, engineers and social scientists to solve complex problems across a vast and multifaceted span of human endeavours, thus improving the human condition.
The investment will drive economic growth by accelerating translational research outcomes, attract world leading talent, and act as a catalyst for university-industry partnerships, both nationally and internationally, to engage in collaborative research programs and commercialisation opportunities.
Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering, said Monash's credentials in data science and AI, along with medical, health, engineering, scientific and climate research, means it is well-positioned to be at the forefront of AI research.
"Monash is a well-established ecosystem of world-class researchers, health networks and partners with large-scale data and pre-identified massive research questions ready to be solved and transformed using AI-based approaches for the benefit of people and the planet. Until now, the missing link has been the necessary compute infrastructure to fully maximise this opportunity," Professor Pickering said.
"Investment in world leading AI is a crucial step in supercharging our sovereign research capabilities to ensure Australia is well-equipped to foster innovation and discovery geared towards tackling some of the major challenges of our time.
"MAVERIC will also deliver generational capability for our students - from undergraduate to postgraduate, as we equip the leaders of tomorrow to ethically and innovatively develop human centred AI to improve the human condition and the future of the planet."
Monash is committed to using a 100 per cent renewable energy solution to provide the necessary power to operate MAVERIC, with the goal to ensure its ongoing operation is completely within the University's commitment to Net Zero, which reflects Monash's ongoing dedication to reducing its carbon footprint and fostering a future where world-class research and climate action go hand in hand.
Work will commence in 2025 with the platform to be activated in 2026. Full implementation of the core hardware is expected in early 2026.
MAVERIC data protection and security
Monash is committed to ensuring that research conducted using MAVERIC is in full compliance with Australia's laws regarding data sovereignty and protection. The platform will operate as a sovereign computer system, ensuring that all data processing and storage will remain within Australian borders, giving the university control over sensitive research data and protecting the privacy of all involved. All research carried out using MAVERIC will adhere to strict ethics approval processes. In addition, Monash will implement robust data privacy and protection protocols, meeting regulatory requirements to safeguard sensitive information and ensuring the ethical use of research data.
Monash University and computer science and technology
Monash University is well positioned to lead the AI revolution as a top 40 research-intensive university with global reach, multidisciplinary expertise, and cutting-edge technology. Ranked #1 in Australia in Computer Science and #34 globally in Data Science and AI, Monash excels in health analytics, biomedical science, and diverse fields like medicine, engineering, humanities, and health and clinical sciences. Its strong partnerships with health networks serving over 4 million people and its international presence further amplify its capacity to drive innovation and global AI applications.
