Google and Australia’s national science agency said they will collaborate to develop software that automatically detects and fixes cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Software for organisations such as hospitals, defence agencies and energy suppliers will be customised to comply with Australian regulations.
“Vulnerabilities in the software supply chain are a global issue, and Australia is leading the way in legislative measures to combat this risk,” said Stefan Avgoustakis, Head of Security for Google Cloud Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian government has imposed stricter requirements on major infrastructure operators to report and prevent cyber attacks after a series of breaches over the past two years exposed the personal information of half the country’s population.
The research partnership will combine Google’s database and cloud storage services with the research methods of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the parties said in a statement.
Google said the plan was part of a five-year commitment it made in 2021 to spend A$1 billion ($675 million) in Australia, at a time when Australia’s push for tougher regulation of global tech companies has cooled relations with the US company.
Google also provides cybersecurity services to the US as part of a $9 billion contract between the US Department of Defense and several major technology companies.
Locally developed cybersecurity software will “better align with local regulations, promoting greater compliance and reliability,” said CSIRO project leader Ejaz Ahmed.
The project’s findings will be made publicly available to make the information easily accessible to operators of critical infrastructure.