Microsoft’s Azure Space and Nokia to create base at Lot Fourteen to help space industry

Bushfire fighters, miners, defence and farmers rely on smart data. Two global giants will create a Lot Fourteen base to help.

The growing space industry in South Australia will have the backing of two of the world’s biggest communications’ companies, Microsoft and Nokia.

Azure Space, part of Microsoft’s cloud platform, will join Nokia to establish a team at Lot Fourteen.

The joint venture will collaborate with SA’s universities, the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, government and industry to use space technology combined with 5G connectivity.

Using satellite imagery, AI analytics and 5G, the venture aims to support development of new products for uses such as public safety, bushfire protection, environmental sustainability, rail logistics, mining automation and defence.

“Microsoft believes that some of our greatest challenges can be addressed with the support of space technologies and ubiquitous connectivity,” said Lynn McDonald, lead for Australia of Azure Space.

“This important collaboration with Nokia will allow Australian organisations to take a giant leap forward into a new era of compute, data and communications capabilities catapulting them to the very forefront of digital innovation.”

Lynn McDonald, lead in Australia for Microsoft's Azure Space.

Nokia will deploy 5G engineers to SA to work with local industry and Azure Space on product development.

“We believe that by combining our 5G-for-industry capabilities with Microsoft’s space-and-compute capabilities, we can deliver solutions that promise deep and lasting impact for Australian industries – and we’re excited to start that work in SA,” Nokia head of global enterprise Chris Johnson said.

Trade and Investment Minister Stephen Patterson said initially six new jobs would be created by the joint venture.

“But the expertise and technology this partnership brings to SA companies is what’s really exciting,” he said.

One of the first workers on the project is Nick Moretti, a space engineer.

After graduating from Pembroke School and Adelaide University, Mr Moretti worked for SA space company Inovor Technologies before moving to NSW.

“I went to NSW in 2019, but I’ve moved back to Adelaide for this job,” he said.

Rather than lifestyle or family reasons, it was the exciting opportunities of the work that drew him back.

“There are really interesting jobs in Adelaide, especially in the STEAM sectors, where you can have a global impact,” he said.

Nicholas Moretti has joined Azure Space, a division of Microsoft, and will work from Lot Fourteen. Picture: Tom Huntley

In the US, Azure Space works with companies such as Elon Musk’s Space X, satellite operator SES and KSAT, which has ground stations that communicate with satellites.

In August, Microsoft announced a Space Startups Australia program where it provides mentoring as well as credits to access its products.

SA start-ups will be eligible to join the program with the Lot Fourteen office of Stone & Chalk, helping with commercialisation.

Premier Steven Marshall welcomed Microsoft and Nokia to Lot Fourteen.

“It is testament to our good reputation of forward thinking, and collaboration within the hi-tech and space industries, that companies of this stature continue to be attracted to SA,” Mr Marshall said.

An artist's diagram of how a joint venture between Microsoft's Azure Space division and Nokia's 5G capability will combine to help a mining operation.

An artist's diagram of how a joint venture between Microsoft's Azure Space division and Nokia's 5G capability will combine to help the Australian Defence Force rescue a civilian ship in distress.

The announcement follows:

DELOITTE on Monday saying it will recruit up to 500 people to establish a Centre for Innovation and Technology.

ACCENTURE. a technology and professional services firm saying it aimed to create 2000 jobs in SA over five years.

GOOGLE Cloud Public Sector establishing a Lot Fourteen office.

AMAZON Web Services and Amazon Sciences saying they would recruit 50 people for a Lot Fourteen office.

MTX Group, which also provides technology services, creating an Asia Pacific foothold via an Adelaide office.