Trellis Data introduces 220-billion-parameter AI model for Australian businesses

Trellis Data is introducing Agentaus 1, a roughly 220-billion-parameter AI model aimed at Australian businesses and government customers. The Canberra company says the model can reduce reliance on overseas providers and the need to switch between models for different tasks—a pitch built around local development as well as capability.

Access is available through free, subscription, enterprise and API tiers, according to Technology Decisions.

Trellis plans to pursue Australian businesses first, then expand internationally. The company’s argument is that one model can cover more of their work while reducing dependence on technology developed by the major overseas AI companies.

A larger model, with qualified performance claims

Agentaus 1 is around 50% larger than Trellis’s previous model. In the Australian Financial Review’s November 12 coverage, the company said it performs well on most tasks professionals use AI for.

Trellis says the model is designed for greater accuracy, more coherent answers and deeper multi-step reasoning. It also says Agentaus 1 can operate efficiently on smaller computing clusters while remaining secure enough for sensitive workloads.

Technology Decisions reports a world ranking of 43 among foundational AI models, but does not identify the ranking provider or test.

It’s the next generation of Trellis Data’s sovereign AI capability, giving Australian organisations a more secure, effective and cost-efficient model while keeping their data and investment here in Australia

Michael Gately, Trellis Data founder, quoted by Technology Decisions

Local development is central to the pitch

Trellis has spent a decade developing AI capabilities in Australia, including for high-security environments.

The company has received less than $10 million in external funding, according to the Financial Review.

Gately also links the release to Australia’s planned mandatory AI safety and security protections. He says Agentaus 1 and Trellis’s other products already meet those standards.