Background: Firmus Technologies is a Tasmania-founded AI infrastructure company. It builds GPU-packed data centres and sells computing power to companies training and running AI systems (including OpenAI). The company has been growing rapidly, raising at a valuation of more than $ 10 billion last month... and planning to list on the ASX in the next 12 months.

What happened: Firmus has just made a deal to sponsor the new AFL team, the Tasmanian Devils, for six years. The deal would mean Firmus slaps its logo on players' shorts and coaches' polos. Plus, launching community programs with the AFL club too. And it comes as Firmus stirs up debate in Tasmania over plans to build three new data centres... raising concerns over noise, water, and energy use.

What else: It might seem like an unlikely pairing, but Firmus' CEO says it "felt like a natural fit." And the reason is pretty obvious: Firmus is tying itself to the Devils' brand and the community around the club, the exact community whose social licence it needs to operate there.

What's the key learning?

💡 A social license is basically the unwritten approval that a company needs from the public to operate. It can make or break infrastructure projects.

💡 Winning public support matters even more when projects use significant water and energy and create light and noise pollution. Especially in Tasmania, where local councils can approve or hold up new data centres.

💡 Public support can be hard to get. 44% of Australians in a recent survey said they’d oppose a data centre being built in their local area. So, Firmus is hoping this deal with the Tasmanian Devils will help win the trust and support of Tassie locals.