Green ICT

The emerging global consensus towards sustainability issues and proactive environmental management has spurred significant technology research in Australia on intelligent transport systems (ITS).

Australia leads the world in advanced traffic management systems, electronic tolling, air traffic management and smart-card solutions for public transport and supply chain management.

Australian transport authorities are working with more than 450 Australian and international ITS companies to implement sustainable transport policies. These include automated fare collection on toll roads, traffic camera systems to reduce congestion, and radio frequency identification to simplify management of complex logistics operations.

Examples of innovation include NEC, which is leading the development of advanced wireless communications, public transport systems and software for the global 3G market from Australia, and automobile parts manufacturer Denso, partnering with Australian companies such as Sensis and Whereis to deliver rich content to motorists around the country.

Games theory

The Australian electronic games industry is running hot, with a thriving mix of local developers and multinational corporations, including Atari, Electronic Arts, Konami, Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment and THQ.

“Australian developers have been discovered by global publishers because of the powerful combination of fresh local creative talent, sophisticated technology and refreshing enthusiasm,” says Mr Adam Lancman, MD of Atari Melbourne House. The company is a local unit of Atari, which invested A$50m in the games development company in 2002.

Atari’s Transformers game was developed in Australia for US$8m and has become a global hit – something senior managers say reflects Australians’ cultural links to Asian, European and US markets.

Developers in China, Korea and other Asian markets have purchased licenses for BigWorld Technology created by Micro Forte in Australia. The system allows hundreds of thousands of people to simultaneously play in online worlds using web-linked computers.

Small world, big ideas

Australian nanotechnology is also offering a revolution in green energy consumption. Sydney-based company cap-XX has developed supercapacitors that offer a compact and efficient alternative to batteries in portable devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers and digital cameras. The company has received funding from the technology investment arms of Acer and Intel, as well as prominent international venture capitalists Walden International and Technology Venture Partners. The company is already shipping more than 100,000 units per month worldwide.

The Very Small Particle Company, based in Wacol, Queensland, aims to stimulate worldwide demand for its nano-scale complex metal oxides by supplying raw materials in bulk and at commercially realistic prices. Its patented process represents enabling technology for, among other things, affordable fuel cells for portable and stationary power, cleaner vehicle emissions, high temperature superconductors, and much improved electronic products such as lithium ion batteries and flat-panel displays.

With commercialisation and research progressing rapidly, it won’t be long before one of your electronic devices is powered by clean green Australian ICT and nanotechnology.

>> www.investaustralia.gov.au/ICT