The federal government will invest billions over the next decade in a top secret cloud to host and share information between Australia's national intelligence agencies.
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The software will cost about $2 billion to set up, and will be contracted out to Amazon Web Services, which the government says has "specialist expertise" in delivering cloud services that are secure and reliable.
The project will involve the establishment of three top secret data centres in Australia, and is expected to be up and running by mid-2027, allowing Australia's Defence and national intelligence agencies to securely host the country's most sensitive information.
But it is not yet clear what the ongoing cost to sustain the software will be.
The Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Rachel Noble, said the new software would transform how the country's intelligence agencies work together.
"[It] will provide a state-of-the-art collaborative space for our intelligence and defence community to store and access secret data," she said.
"For ASD, this capability is a vital part of our REDSPICE program which is lifting our intelligence and offensive and defensive cyber capabilities."
The $10 billion REDSPICE program, announced in 2022, is aimed at significantly expanding the agency's offensive cyber capabilities.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the new investment would enhance national security capability, while creating up to 2000 local jobs.
"This cutting-edge technology will enhance Defence's resilience, improve the ADF's war fighting capacity, strengthen interoperability with key international partners and deliver up to 2000 jobs."
Mr Marles called it a reflection of the government's "sensible approach to prioritising the enabling capabilities our Defence Force needs in order to address the complex strategic circumstances we face".
Miriam Webber
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
