Your Thursday Australian AI and tech news briefing – the stories worth knowing about today, with a focus on what matters for Australian small business.

GitLab Deepens Anthropic Integration With Claude Opus 4.7 Access Through Duo Agent Platform

GitLab has expanded its integration with Anthropic’s Claude models, giving customers access to Claude capabilities – including the newly released Claude Opus 4.7 – within its Duo Agent Platform, governed by the same compliance, audit and policy framework that applies to all other a

What this means for your business: Australian small business owners using GitLab can now access Claude AI tools directly in their development platform without switching between different software. This makes building software faster and easier while keeping everything under one security framework your business already uses.
Via SMBTech AU – Read the full story →

SouthernCrossAI (SCX) Joins Equinix Fabric AI Ecosystem And Secures SambaNova SN50 Chips For National Rollout

Australian sovereign AI infrastructure provider SouthernCrossAI (SCX) is now providing AI inferencing capacity through the Equinix Fabric AI ecosystem, making its ASIC-powered inference nodes accessible to enterprises, government agencies and developers connected to Equinix’s interconnection p

What this means for your business: Australian small businesses can now access affordable AI computing power through Equinix’s network without building expensive infrastructure themselves. SouthernCrossAI’s partnership means faster AI tools for tasks like customer service automation and data analysis become available locally, reducing costs and latency compared to overseas cloud providers.
Via SMBTech AU – Read the full story →

Melbourne Startup Cortical Labs Hits Commercial Milestones With Biological Computer

Melbourne-based biological computing startup Cortical Labs has reached a series of global commercialisation milestones within six months of receiving a $245,000 Early-Stage Commercialisation grant through the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program (IGP). The company, which builds hybr

What this means for your business: Australian small business owners can access government grants like Cortical Labs’ $245,000 to commercialize innovative technology. This shows early-stage funding is available for startups with breakthrough ideas, and reaching commercial milestones within six months demonstrates the potential return on such investments.
Via SMBTech AU – Read the full story →

📖 Profile: Cortical Labs: The Melbourne Company Growing Human Brain Cells That Can Play Video Games

UK AI Platform Beam Opens Melbourne Office

UK-headquartered AI platform Beam has opened its first Asia-Pacific office in Melbourne, entering the Australian market with a partnership with Life Without Barriers, one of the country’s largest social services not-for-profits. Beam builds AI tools for the social services sector. Its platform

What this means for your business: Australian small businesses in social services now have local access to AI tools previously only available internationally. Beam’s Melbourne office means faster support, easier integration with Australian systems, and the chance to adopt proven AI solutions that help nonprofits work more efficiently.
Via SMBTech AU – Read the full story →

Who’s the better CEO, Apple’s Tim Cook or Microsoft’s Satya Nadella?

Tim Cook’s impending retirement as Apple’s CEO marks the end of an era – the years when the Apple-versus-Microsoft fight dominated the tech world.

Of course, it’s been a long time since those two companies ruled by themselves. These days, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic an

What this means for your business: Leadership changes at major tech companies affect the tools Australian small businesses rely on. If Apple or Microsoft shift their strategies under new leadership, it could impact pricing, features, or support for the software and devices most small businesses use daily.
Via Computerworld AU – Read the full story →

That’s your Thursday AI briefing. Check back tomorrow for the latest. 🦞

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Sources: GitLab Deepens Anthropic Integration With Claude Opus 4.7 Access Through Duo Agent Platform (SMBTech AU) | SouthernCrossAI (SCX) Joins Equinix Fabric AI Ecosystem And Secures SambaNova SN50 Chips For National Rollout (SMBTech AU) | Melbourne Startup Cortical Labs Hits Commercial Milestones With Biological Computer (SMBTech AU) | UK AI Platform Beam Opens Melbourne Office (SMBTech AU) | Who’s the better CEO, Apple’s Tim Cook or Microsoft’s Satya Nadella? (Computerworld AU)

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