ByDavid SwanAugust 16, 2025 — 5.00amSaveLog in,registerorsubscribeto save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeNvidia, the world’s most valuable company, is teaming with Monash University and Dell to build an Australia-first supercomputer that promises to elevate the country into the AI big leagues.The supercomputer, dubbed MAVERIC and built in collaboration with CDC Data Centres, will be purpose-built for large-scale AI and data-intensive workloads and feature technology never before deployed in the country.MAVERIC will be housed at CDC’s facility in the Melbourne suburb of Brooklyn, with construction to begin later this year. The system is expected to go live in early 2026, and was the subject of a meeting between Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, Assistant Minister for Science Andrew Charlton and Nvidia executives on Wednesday morning.Nvidia co-founder and chief executive Jensen Huang.Credit:Bloomberg“Without this kind of AI super-computer power, Australian researchers are trying to compete on the world stage with one arm tied behind their back,” Monash University vice-chancellor Sharon Pickering said in an interview.“We are making a $60 million investment here so that Australia can be world leaders, and not just be willing to take second place. We have to be willing to be the best in the world and for our world-leading researchers; my job is to get them the best infrastructure in the world to support them.”MAVERIC will initially focus on advancing medical research, Pickering said, including developing new pharmaceutical products and personalising treatments for patients suffering from acute medical conditions. It will also focus on environmental issues including a study of the Antarctic and research into the impact of heat on populations. It will be available to university researchers and academics, students and research partners.The supercomputer will be built using Dell racks and servers and feature Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72 platform. Amid debate about Australia’s role in the global AI arms race, Dell Australia managing director Angela Fox said that MAVERIC represented a “leapfrogging” opportunity for the nation in its AI capabilities.Monash University’s vice-chancellor and president Sharon Pickering, Dell Technologies executive Angela Fox and CDC Data Centres founder and CEO Greg Boorer (from left).Credit:Photo by Andrew Curtis“It allows researchers to use increasingly sophisticated AI models to tackle some of Australia and the world’s most pressing issues and will deliver lasting value for the nation,” she said. “It’s a massive win for the research community and for Australia as a whole.”AdvertisementNvidia has been arguably the company to benefit most globally from the AI boom to date. It’s now the world’s most valuable publicly traded company and the first in history to be worth $US4 trillion ($6.2 trillion), with its shares up 68 per cent over the past year and a whopping 1484 per cent over the past five years. Its CEO Jensen Huang, known for his trademark leather jacket, is worth an estimated $245 billion.LoadingThe company this week agreed to pay 15 per cent of its revenues from Chinese AI chip sales to the US government as part of a negotiation with the White House. The investment figure from Nvidia, Dell and CDC was not disclosed.Nvidia senior director Dennis Ang said the Monash supercomputer would mark a new era for Australian research.“MAVERIC will empower scientists and innovators to tackle the world’s toughest challenges with unprecedented AI capabilities and energy efficiency,” Ang said.“We’re building the foundation for breakthroughs that will create new economic opportunities andsupercharge the next generation of researchers, developers and start-ups.”The project will also allow creation of a joint NVIDIA AI Technology Centre at Monash, giving the university’s researchers early access to next-generation tools and positioning it as a leader in sovereign AI capabilities.“I met with Nvidia today and they were excited about the prospect of this tech platform being deployed in Australia for the first time,” Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton said.“If Australia is going to stay at the cutting edge of research we need to make sure we are accessing the best technology possible.”Amid concern about generative AI’s rampant water usage – it’s estimated that each interaction with ChatGPT requires up to half a litre of water – the supercomputer will also rely on advanced liquid cooling technology that delivers 300 times greater water efficiency than traditional air-cooled systems. It will also be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.CDC founder and CEO Greg Boorer called the project a “significant step forward” in environmentally conscious infrastructure. “This is a great example of how next-generation liquid cooling is transforming the digital infrastructure of the research and education sector,” he said.The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion.Sign up to get it every weekday morning.SaveLog in,registerorsubscribeto save articles for later.License this articleAINvidiaResearchInnovationDavid Swanis the technology editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously technology editor for The Australian newspaper.Connect viaTwitteroremail.Loading