DEPUTY PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND UNVEILS NEW ARKEUS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING FACILITY, SUPPORTED BY $1.48M SOVEREIGN INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

LTR - Malcolm Schutlstad (Operations Manager, Arkeus), Simon Olsen (Co-Founder and CEO, Arkeus), The Hon. Jarrod Bleijie MP (Deputy Premier of Queensland), Michael Crandon MP (Member for Coomera), Erin Boutros (Executive Business Partner, Arkeus)

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This week, the Deputy Premier of Queensland, Australia, The Hon. Jarrod Bleijie MP, and Member for Coomera, Michael Crandon MP, unveiled the brand new Arkeus defence technology advanced manufacturing facility in Ormeau, Queensland. Arkeus' advanced manufacturing expansion into Queensland has been enabled by the state government's support of AUD$1.48M via the Sovereign Industry Development Fund (SIDF).

The new Arkeus defence technology facility will build AI powered sensing systems that serve as the eyes and brains of autonomous platforms for Australian and allied defence customers. It will increase Arkeus' manufacturing capability by 20x.

Arkeus has already hired four senior Queensland-based team members, including the global VP of Manufacturing, Andrew Sim, and plans to grow the Queensland team by up to 50 members in the next few years.

"Our AUD$180.6M Sovereign Industry Development Fund is about building sovereign capability across the state," said The Hon. Jarrod Bleijie MP, Deputy Premier of Queensland, during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We've already announced some great projects in defence, biofuels, and biomedicine, but this one I'm particularly excited about. AUD$1.48M has been awarded to Arkeus - it is about building sovereign capability for drones and sensors and for Queensland to stamp its authority in the defence space around the globe."

The Ormeau facility marks an important stage in Arkeus' growth. Following a Series A funding of AUD$25M in May 2026, Arkeus is establishing advanced manufacturing capabilities in Queensland and the United States to support sovereign defence capability and enable faster delivery of systems into operational use.

"Arkeus is just getting started on the possibilities for defence technology that can help drones and other unmanned craft to see, understand and act," Simon Olsen, Founder and CEO of Arkeus, said.

"Thanks to SIDF, we are establishing this advanced manufacturing facility on the Gold Coast that will include new production and repair capabilities for our specialised AI-powered optical sensors. Our new Ormeau facility will allow us to significantly scale manufacturing, meet growing demand from Australian and U.S. defence agencies, and support the next stage of Arkeus' growth."

"We see enormous opportunities to strengthen Queensland's sovereign capabilities in advanced manufacturing for the defence sector, to grow export markets, and create skilled local jobs."

Arkeus' core technology, including hyperspectral optical radar systems, captures multiple layers of visual data simultaneously, allowing AI to detect, classify and track objects across any domain, day and night, and even in degraded or contested environments where traditional sensors struggle.

Rather than simply showing operators what a scene looks like, Arkeus' systems extract meaning from data in real time, enabling faster, more accurate decisions at the edge without reliance on vulnerable communications links or remote processing.

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Media contact: media@houseofkitch.com.au

About Arkeus

Arkeus is a defence technology company developing AI powered sensing systems that enable real-time perception and decision-making for autonomous platforms. It's hardware-enabled software approach combines advanced sensing with onboard AI to deliver situational awareness at the edge, supporting defence, security and civil applications globally.

Founded in 2020 by CEO Simon Olsen and CTO Dr Jonathan Nebauer, Arkeus was built to solve the perception limitations of autonomous systems operating in complex environments. Olsen brings more than 15 years' experience in defence, autonomy and ISR systems, including senior leadership roles within Australian defence industry SMEs and across the Australian uncrewed systems sector.

Dr Nebauer is an aerospace engineer and optical sensing specialist with deep expertise in autonomous software and hardware systems. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering focused on spectral-method solutions, alongside degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Physics with a concentration in High Performance Computing.