UK-registered tech firm SoftIron is opening its first manufacturing facility in Australia. It is the first component-level manufacturing facility in the country.
The facility will build “clean” computer servers for customers that want to be sure there is no unknown code in their data centres. The facility is expected to start manufacturing in early 2022.
Bolstering Australia’s data infrastructure resilience
SoftIron designs and manufactures appliances for scale-out data centres. This includes private and public cloud, and enterprise-scale facilities. It is the only manufacturer offering auditable provenance on every single appliance it supplies.
The Sydney facility is SoftIron’s second in the world after California. It is a major milestone in the company’s “Edge Manufacturing” strategy.
‘Our Edge Manufacturing approach is about building leading-edge manufacturing facilities close to where our end customers are located,’ says Jason Van der Schyff, Chief Operating Officer at SoftIron.
‘. By establishing our first ever factory on Australian soil, we will help further bolster Australia’s data infrastructure resilience by locally manufacturing our world-leading data centre solutions.’
Support from the Australian Government
SoftIron received a A$1.5 million towards the facility. The grants provide up to 70% of the cost of a project that builds capabilities aligned with the Australian Department of Defence’s Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities.
‘The support we have received from the Australian Government and Department of Defence cemented our decision to become the first company to build data centre products from the component level up, on Australian soil,’ says Van der Schyff.
Austrade will introduce SoftIron to New South Wales Government stakeholders as it grows its business in the state.
Australia is base for business expansion
SoftIron’s new facility builds on its expansion in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The company launched its global partner program and hired a regional sales director in 2020.
SoftIron is a global business from the outset, says Van der Schyff.
‘We build our team in the places they choose to live and work,’ he says. ‘We believe this will be the model for all successful businesses worldwide. Some key hires in Perth and Sydney gave us our first foothold in the region.
‘Australia’s position as a leading technology adopter also makes this an important market for us. Access to a talented pool of skills in the region also makes Australia a strategically important base for us from which to expand.’
Australia’s national aims for sovereign resilience in IT infrastructure align well with the unique approach SoftIron is taking to designing and building its data centre products.
‘The COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for leading-edge data infrastructure solutions,’ says Van der Schyff. ‘We must continue to expand to meet this. Being globally distributed has given us a remarkable level of resilience to world events over the last 18 months.
‘With New South Wales opening up again, we can’t wait to get back to fully commissioning our new Sydney facility.’
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