| Welcome to the latest issue of AI Uptake!
The ARM Hub AI Adopt Centre works with Australian businesses to co-design workshops for SMEs, create technical roadmaps, and support implementation.
With the support of the Australian Government, we've helped hundreds of businesses move AI from chatbots into practical, factory-floor usable and scalable solutions.
This month: Our Female Founders program returns, Suitcase Records are supercharging analogue music with AI, an IWD special and much, much more! |
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| | | International Women’s Day Special |
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ARM Hub CEO Prof Cori Stewart delivered the International Women's Day keynote at the Women in Manufacturing Breakfast hosted by Queensland Government last week, noting the sector's potential and highlighting the critical role women will play moving forward.
"Manufacturing is not one industry among many. It is the industry that makes every other industry possible."
"We cannot build the next generation of AI and robotics-enabled industry without women at the centre of it." |
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| | Prof Cori Stewart delivering her keynote |
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| Stewart, who leads Australia's advanced robotics and manufacturing adoption centre, drew on her own journey to illustrate how visible role models shape what young women believe is possible, particularly in technical fields.
"That choice wasn't about my ability. It was about what I could imagine. And what I could imagine was limited by what I could see."
It's a dynamic, she says, that plays out across the sector. Women currently make up around 23% of Australia's manufacturing workforce, a number that is growing but still well short of where the industry needs it to be, particularly as AI and automation reshape what manufacturing looks like and who it needs.
"We're seeing AI move off the screen and into the physical world, into factories, production lines, operating theatres, and paddocks. This is an extraordinary moment to be entering this industry." |
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Stewart was direct about what holds progress back: rarely a single dramatic event, more often it's accumulated friction, limited flexibility, absent mentorship, and a culture that wasn't built with women in mind.
"The manufacturers who have figured out flexible work are winning the talent war. The ones who haven't are losing people they cannot replace, and many of those people are women."
The message to industry leaders was unambiguous: diverse teams make better decisions, and the research supports it.
"What you give, in culture, in opportunity, in the way you welcome people who don't yet fit the template, determines what this industry gains."
With Queensland companies already building autonomous mining systems and AI-driven robotics for agriculture and healthcare, the stakes are not abstract.
The next wave of Australian industry is being built now. The question is who gets to build it.
"We cannot build that future without women." |
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| | The panel (left to right): Teagan Dowler, Founder of The BCW; Prof Cori Stewart; Emily Pullen, CEO of Jim Jerky; Zahlee Wheeler, apprentice at Allweld Manufacturing Pty Ltd |
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Suitcase Records presses play on smarter production |
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| ’People used to make records, as in the record of an event, the event of people playing music in a room. . . “
- Ani Di Franco, “Fuel” from 1997 album Little Plastic Castles
The craft of vinyl records is getting a quiet upgrade at Suitcase Records, a family-run pressing plant based in Pinkenba, Brisbane.
Digital technology transformed the way music is recorded, shared and enjoyed. Then came the vinyl resurgence, as fans embraced something more tactile, more physical, more theirs.
Now AI is playing a role in making that analogue experience more faithful to the artists who create it. The challenge is ensuring the vinyl packaging artwork matches the vision of the musicians who make the music.
"The incredibly talented musicians we work with almost always have a vision for how they want their jackets and labels to represent their music," said Kathy Wilson, Director, Suitcase Records. "The challenge is that they don't always have the technical expertise to get that vision into print."
In response, the ARM Hub AI Adopt Centre is designing a tool that checks label artwork before it goes to print. Through a simple, website-like interface, the Suitcase Records team can upload artist submissions, run automatic checks on colour space, bleed and template suitability, and send files back for fixing before they reach the press.
"This tool will help us create exactly the album that artists want to give to their fans," Kathy said.
Vinyl is about giving fans exactly what the artist intended. Now the artwork can do that too. |
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| | Suitcase Records (left to right): James Lavell, Yani, Kathy Wilson, Neil Wilson, June Devlin |
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HVAC To Get A Compliance Officer
That Never Sleeps |
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Australia has more than 50,000 HVAC businesses. Most are small businesses, and for many of them, that means no dedicated compliance department.
That's the reality for members of the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors' Association (AMCA), Australia's industry body representing commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractors. AMCA's member businesses design, install and maintain the HVAC systems, keeping Australian workplaces safe, healthy and pleasant to be in.
But they also spend part of their day navigating OH&S regulations, energy efficiency mandates, and changing building codes that also vary state by state. For a small HVAC contractor, keeping up means either paying one or more consultants or taking the risk of getting it wrong.
AMCA identified the problem and brought it to ARM Hub's AI Adopt Centre. Together, they're building the solution. |
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| "For a small HVAC contractor, staying current on compliance isn't optional," said Ben Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer, AMCA.
"But for many, the burden of managing it can be enough to bring a business to its knees."
That burden is exactly what this project targets. The tools ARM Hub are developing give HVAC businesses instant, tailored and up-to-date answers on compliance and industry standards, replacing the guesswork with reliable guidance.
"This is about keeping people safe," Hawkins said, "and giving contractors the tools to do that without it costing them their business." |
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Our AI Adopt Centre supports businesses in National Reconstruction Fund priority sectors, and HVAC sits squarely in that frame.
What makes this approach worth paying attention to, well beyond the HVAC sector, is how cleanly it transfers. Almost every trade and manufacturing business in Australia operates under a similar compliance burden: shifting regulations, standards that vary by state, and no dedicated team to track any of it. A chatbot trained on HVAC compliance today is a template for food manufacturing, electrical contracting, or metal fabrication tomorrow.
"AMCA has built up a wealth of knowledge and resources that HVAC businesses rely on every day. That data is exactly what makes this work,” said ARM Hub CEO Prof Cori Stewart. “We can put it to work in an AI tool that gives contractors accurate, up-to-date compliance guidance on demand.”
“Less time on paperwork, more time on actual work. That's the kind of productivity Australian industry needs more of, and it's why partnerships like this one matter."
Professor Stewart has committed the Centre to engaging up to 30,000 SMEs over three years. AMCA members are exactly the kind of businesses she had in mind: capable, experienced operators who need smarter tools, not transformation consultants.
AI isn't complicated. For an HVAC contractor trying to stay across WHS updates, it's a compliance officer that never sleeps. |
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| | | | Female Founders Scaleup Manufacturing Program
This four-month program is designed to implement a technology adoption plan tailored to your business. The offer? Matched funding worth $25-50k to boost productivity, capability and capacity.
If your concept is ready to scale, get in touch! |
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| | Propel-AIR 2.0
Australia’s first-ever AI and robotics sprint is back again with a grand prize—a month-long residency at MassRobotics in Boston.
Fast-track your business. Connect globally. Scale internationally. |
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| | | | Sustainable AI at the speed of light |
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| Researchers at the Sydney Nano Hub, University of Sydney, have developed an ultra-compact AI chip that uses light to perform calculations at the speed of light.
While traditional chips rely on conventional energy sources, the nano-photonic chip uses light particles to perform computations.
At a width close to the diameter of a human hair, the nanochip can operate at one trillionth of a second, displaying unparalleled speed with 90-99% accuracy.
Once scaled, the innovation has the potential to drive sustainable AI infrastructure that meets rising computational demands without increasing energy usage. Read more. |
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| | | Australia & Canada sign MoU for AI safety |
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| The two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance insights and strengthen cooperation on AI safety.
The collaboration will see Australia and Canada engage in joint research to mitigate the risks posed by advanced AI systems, while supporting internationally recognised guidelines for AI evaluation.
The agreement was announced during the Prime Minister of Canada, the Rt Hon Mark Carney MP’s visit to Australia. With the MoU, both countries are well-positioned to exchange well-informed insights on AI systems. Read more. |
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| | | Our Female Founders Program is back! |
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| After a highly successful sprint in 2024, the program is back for its second edition.
With only two spots left, ARM Hub is seeking participants with an active concept, ready to build a prototype and scale manufacturing capabilities.
“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we are excited to revive the program and empower novel ideas in the field,” said Prof Cori Stewart.
Participants stand a chance to receive $25-50k in matched funding for their project, with engineering support from ARM Hub.
Register your interest here. |
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Allison Bambrick, Executive Manager
Allison is the Executive Manager at ARM Hub. Drawing on more than 25 years in Government, including senior leadership roles, Allison works closely with the CEO and Board to shape strategy, policy, and partnerships that will support the organisation’s goal to scale Australian industry for global success.
What made you pick ARM Hub?
I worked in the manufacturing part of the Queensland Government when ARM Hub was founded, and have followed the company’s progress since then. I love learning about new technologies like AI, robotics and quantum, and I’m excited to be working with innovative companies to see more great ideas scaled up.
What’s something exciting in your life?
I have my own beehive! It’s called a horizontal hop bar hive, so it’s quite different to the white boxes people are familiar with. I harvest lots of honey, and it’s usually a relaxing pastime, but it can get exciting when one of the bees finds its way through the suit! |
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| | | Where to find us this month |
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| The CFO Summit Intercontinental Sydney Double Bay March 16-17
Prof Cori Stewart Samuel Jesuadian |
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| National AI Centre Events |
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Southstart 2026 17-19 March | Adelaide
Interested in how Australia’s AI ecosystem is supporting start-ups and emerging innovation? Eloise Leaver & Emma Haller from NAIC take part as speakers, sharing perspectives on responsible AI and industry collaboration. Secure your ticket |
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| | NBN connects with Microsoft 17 March | Brisbane
Keen to discover practical ways Aussie businesses are boosting productivity with AI tools? Join this in-person event where Alex Blauensteiner from NAIC will speak alongside industry partners, sharing practical insights on AI adoption. Register here |
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| | Northlink AI Summit 2026 - Part 1 25 March | Melbourne
Interested in how SMEs can harness AI to unlock opportunities, manage risks, and collaborate? NAIC will participate in the summit, contributing to discussions on AI adoption and SME capability building. Register here |
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