Breakthrough VIC boosts advanced manufacturing with $15M liquid instruments investment

Breakthrough Victoria is making an investment of $15 million in Liquid Instruments, a company in reconfigurable, precision software-defined test instrumentation.

This strategic move aims to bolsterLiquid Instruments’ innovation and expansion, particularly within Victoria, fostering technological advancement and generating new job opportunities.

Liquid Instruments is revolutionising traditional test and measurement instruments used by engineers, scientists, and students worldwide.

Unlike conventional instruments, which are often inflexible and costly with hardware designed for single measurement tasks, Liquid Instruments’ devices leverage the flexible nature of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and a versatile software platform.

According to Breakthrough Victoria, this approach results in more efficient, adaptable, and cost-effective instrumentation.

Their products provide up to fourteen instruments through a single device, from standard tools like oscilloscopes to advanced offerings like lock-in amplifiers, all within a compact and cost-effective framework.

Grant Dooley, CEO of Breakthrough Victoria, emphasised the wide-ranging impact of this investment.

“The impact of Breakthrough Victoria’s investment in Liquid Instruments will be felt across various levels of the state’s innovation sector.”

He added, “From stronger manufacturing capability in Victoria to cost-effective lab solutions for researchers, engineers, and students in a single piece of hardware.”

Liquid Instruments is already collaborating with Victorian partners to manufacture its products and plans to expand these efforts in the coming years with the release of its highly anticipated next-generation device.

This investment will also see the establishment of a new office in Melbourne and the hiring of dozens of new employees in high-tech roles, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science, and advanced manufacturing.

Tim Pallas, Minister for Economic Growth, highlighted the economic benefits of the investment: “We are growing our economy and attracting new industry by investing in companies like Liquid Instruments – creating new jobs in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.”

In addition to creating high-tech jobs, Liquid Instruments plans to expand its internship program, targeting students from Victorian universities.

This initiative will provide undergraduate and graduate students with invaluable real-world experience, working alongside Liquid Instruments scientists and engineers to propel innovative technology development.

Daniel Shaddock, CEO and co-founder of Liquid Instruments, expressed enthusiasm about the expansion.

“We are super excited to expand into Victoria. This investment will allow us to strengthen and grow our manufacturing partnerships in Australia and forge new collaborations with researchers from world-class institutions at the forefront of technology development, including the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, and Monash University,” he explained.