CONSULTATIONS
DEFINING AI SOVEREIGNTY
In September 2025, TPDi brought together over nearly 250 individuals and 187 organisation across five cities, and online, to survey and map Australia’s AI strengths and define our path forward.
The Resulting Discussion Paper, and the Draft Australia AI Capability Assessment, is now available
National Consultation Roadshow
THE PROBLEM
“AI Sovereignty” is a provocative concept often invoked but rarely defined. This project addresses three immediate challenges:
- Shared Language – “AI Sovereignty” means different things to different stakeholders. This project will provide clarity and an authoritative Sovereign AI Framework.
- Full Stack View – Current efforts are siloed. Australia requires a holistic view of sovereignty across the entire AI stack – from compute infrastructure to data and governance.
- Stocktake of Australia’s National AI Capabilities – There is no single consolidated, structured evidence-based picture of where Australia currently stands.
Without this clarity, it is challenging to prioritise investment or set a coherent national strategy. The timeline is pressing: with the Governments National AI Plan due by the end of 2025.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Tech Policy Design Institute is leading a project to define “AI Sovereignty” and baseline Australia’s National AI Capabilities, and is embarking on a national sprint consultation roadshow.
This project is supported by the Australian Computer Society and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. All contributions whether through workshops or the survey, will be recognised in TPDi’s Discussion Paper (October 2025) and the final report (end 2025). TPDi retains full independence over our research and editorial discretion over outputs and recommendations.
This work is made possible through collaboration with Australia’s tech policy ecosystem, and with you, the person reading this website.
Workshops were held from 18-26 September and a survey was conducted for experts to:
- Influence the draft AI Sovereignty Framework before it is finalised, and
- Contribute directly to the Australian National AI Capability Stocktake across the full AI stack.
Read the Resulting Discussion Paper, and the Draft Australia AI Capability Assessment here.
This project was made possible by the generous support of the Australian Computer Society and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
TPDi’s independence is our most valuable asset. As a registered not-for-profit, our work is supported by external funding. We only accept funding from entities that agree to be disclosed publicly and commit to respect and promote TPDi’s independence. TPDi does not represent the views of any of our funders; all outputs represent solely the views of TPDi and/or the authors.
This work builds on longstanding research by TPDi Co-Founder Zoe Jay Hawkins and colleagues Vili Lehdonvirta and Bóxī Wú (Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford & Aalto University) on compute sovereignty, which has been featured by The New York Times, the Australian Financial Review, TIME Magazine, BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, Forbes, and POLITICO (among others).
