This time last year, few people would have encountered the terms ‘AI factory’ or ‘neocloud’. And only those deeply plugged into the sector would have been familiar with Firmus Technologies or Sharon AI.
But the two companies have rapidly become the most talked-about names in the market, even emerging as globally significant operators as they rattle towards their respective ASX floats.
The comparisons are striking. Both companies sell access to high-end chips — namely Nvidia’s graphics processing units, or GPUs — to meet booming global demand from organisations building and running AI models.
Both have also raised capital at an almost unprecedented pace. Firmus has secured $1.9 billion in equity investment over the past six months, taking its valuation to nearly $8 billion, while Sharon AI pulled off a surprise $177 million Nasdaq float in February at a $1 billion valuation.
