An estimated $26 billion in data centre investment is forecast by 2030​ to keep up with the demand for computing power. Australia is emerging as a strategically important hub for AI deployment and infrastructure, underpinned by abundant land, strong renewable energy potential, a highly skilled engineering workforce, and a stable political and regulatory environment. For companies seeking robust, forward-looking IP protection aligned with where AI implementation is occurring, Australia now firmly belongs on the “must file” list. Protecting these innovations with a robust IP strategy is critical. FB Rice provides expert guidance to help safeguard your innovations and maximise their value.

Innovation across the data centre sector spans a broad range of technologies, including AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, networking, cooling systems, power management, semiconductors, cybersecurity and data storage. As demand for faster, more efficient and sustainable infrastructure accelerates, protecting the intellectual property underpinning these technologies is essential to maintaining a competitive advantage.

Our attorneys develop tailored IP strategies for organisations innovating across the data centre ecosystem. With technical expertise spanning electrical and computer engineering, software, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, electronics, mechanical engineering and materials science, we assemble integrated teams that deliver commercially focused IP advice grounded in a deep understanding of the underlying technology.

We work with organisations across the data centre and digital infrastructure landscape, including operators, equipment manufacturers, semiconductor and hardware companies, AI infrastructure providers, cloud and networking businesses, software developers, and research institutions. Together with our R&D Tax Consulting team, we provide integrated support across the full innovation lifecycle—from identifying and protecting innovation through to commercialisation, portfolio management and maximising available R&D incentives.

Whether you are developing next-generation computing infrastructure, advanced cooling technologies, intelligent power management systems or AI-enabling hardware and software, FB Rice combines technical excellence with commercial insight to help you protect, manage and maximise the value of your intellectual property. We support you throughout the IP lifecycle, helping you secure your competitive advantage and unlock the commercial potential of your innovations.


How Firmus Technologies is delivering a cool solution in a hot market

Securing intellectual property rights to support the HyperCube, an “AI factory building block”
A layered approach to patent protection across key jurisdictions.
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With experience across a broad range of industries, our highly skilled attorneys provide commercially focused, strategic IP advice tailored to your needs.
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Data Centre Health Insights

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From 'nice to have' to 'must file': IP and Australia's AI infrastructure boom

Australia’s data centre boom: how companies building smarter can benefit through the R&D tax program

Australia’s push to become a global data centre hub inevitably brings with it challenges, including energy generation and storage, thermal management and water usage. As discussed in our earlier article 'Powering AI infrastructure: energy, renewables and data centres in Australia'¹, these are real issues, but they are also fertile ground for research and development and offsetting these costs is a vital part of Australia continuing to expand its innovation capacity, commercial competitiveness, and long term economic resilience.

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From Data Centres to Patents: Why Australia and South East Asia are key patent filing jurisdictions for AI innovations

Not only is the growth of AI infrastructure changing how technology is delivered, it is concentrating computational activity in a more limited set of locations. From an Intellectual Property perspective, this brings jurisdictions such as Australia and select South East Asian markets into sharper focus as priority destinations for patent filings, creating the opportunity to align protection more confidently with where commercially significant deployment is most likely to occur.

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Australia’s data centre boom: why tech companies should consider software patenting

When US based AI company Anthropic publicly confirmed it was exploring potential data centre investments in Australia, it sent a clear signal that Australia is moving into the global AI infrastructure mainstream.¹ Anthropic’s interest sits alongside a wave of large scale commitments from other US technology leaders — including Amazon Web Services and OpenAI, together with their infrastructure partners — who are collectively pouring tens of billions of dollars into Australian data centre capacity.

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