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Questions about AI4WA, answered
Straight answers on how we work, what it costs, where your data goes and who we are. If yours isn't here, just ask us over a coffee.
About AI4WA
Who we are and what we have built.
What is AI4WA?
AI4WA is an AI research and engineering team based in Perth, Western Australia, working with WA businesses since 2024. We help businesses adopt AI in two layers: first we put AI into the workflows they already run, then we build a research and development engine on their own data. That way the AI advantage belongs to them, not to their vendors or competitors.
Is there an AI consultancy in Perth that builds custom AI on a company's own data?
Yes, that is what AI4WA does. We are a Perth AI consultancy and engineering team offering fixed-price workflow screening, proofs of concept on your data, production builds and R&D, on your own servers if you need. We meet over coffee, online or at your office, and work on-site with your team when it helps. See how we work.
Who is behind AI4WA?
Experienced developers and researchers based in Perth. Engineers who have shipped production software work alongside PhD researchers in machine learning, language, geospatial data and speech. The team brings peer-reviewed research and the evaluation habits that come with it, and delivers the full stack: data pipelines, models, web apps and deployment.
Which industries does AI4WA work with?
Mining and geoscience, property and planning, health and community services, energy and decarbonisation, ocean and marine planning, and any business with an archive of documents. We have live products in each. The same method works wherever a business has workflows and data.
What AI products has AI4WA already built?
Nine products, all running today: GeoPlatform, MineTrace and CoreFlagging for mining, Keys for property, ACYWA and Numbat for health, BiomassFlux for energy, Biohotspot for marine planning and GeoThought for documents. Each one is open in your browser. They are proven parts we reuse, so your project starts ahead.
Working with us
How a project runs, what it costs and who owns the result.
How does an AI project with AI4WA work?
In four steps, and you can stop after any of them: an AI workflow screening (typically 2 to 4 weeks, fixed price), a concept design and proof of concept on your real data (typically 4 to 8 weeks), production development (typically 2 to 6 months) and monthly support and improvement. Success measures for the proof of concept are agreed before we start, so the result is a clear go or no-go with a build cost. Each step leaves you something to keep.
We don't know where AI fits in our business. Is it too early to talk?
No, that is the most common starting point. A workflow screening exists for exactly this: we look at how your work is done and what data you hold, and report honestly where AI is worth it and where it isn't. Every workflow gets a rating (automate, assist, or leave as is) with the reason, effort and risk for each.
How much does an AI project cost?
Workflow screening is fixed price. Proofs of concept are fixed scope and price. Production work is quoted per milestone, and support is a monthly fee scaled to use.
Can AI4WA help with the R&D Tax Incentive or research grants?
Yes. R&D work may be eligible for the R&D Tax Incentive, and we keep the records that support a claim. We can also help set up research collaborations with suitable research groups, and explore research grants together and prepare the applications.
Who owns the code and models AI4WA builds?
You own the code and models we build for you. Where we use one of our existing platforms, it is licensed to you, and we say which parts are which before work starts.
Our data is messy. Do we need to fix it first?
Usually not. Most of our projects start from scanned reports, spreadsheets and old databases. The screening report says what is usable now.
Data and private AI
Where your data goes, and AI that never leaves your network.
Can AI run on our own servers without sending data to the cloud?
Yes. Every application we build can run entirely inside your network, on your own hardware with open-weight models. Nothing is sent to an external AI provider, and it keeps working at remote sites when the internet doesn't. More on private, on-premise AI.
Where does our data go?
Wherever your rules say: fully on your own servers, or in Australian cloud regions if you prefer. We tell you which external services, if any, a design uses before we build it.
Is local AI slower than cloud AI?
Not necessarily. In our measurements the first word from an 8B model on a local GPU server arrived in 43 ms, against 720 ms for a small cloud model and 2,400 ms for a large one. Local is not only more private, it can be faster too.
How do I get in touch with AI4WA?
Email [email protected] or message us on LinkedIn. We can meet for a coffee chat in Perth, online, or in person at your office. No need to prepare anything: a rough idea of what you'd like to improve is plenty.
Keen to have a chat?
Schedule a coffee chat in Perth, an online meeting or an in-person meeting at your office. A rough idea of what you'd like to improve is plenty.