The IBM company has won a landmark contract offered by the Australian government to develop blockchain and other digital initiatives for the country. The announcement was made on Thursday, June 5th, and indicated that the deal was a five year contract that was worth AUD $1 Billion or approximately $740 million. This contract is part of the Australian government’s efforts to have the country become one of the top 3 digital governments in the globe by 2025 through investing in the research and development of blockchain technology, quantum computing as well as artificial intelligence.

David La Rose, the Managing Director of IBM Australia & New Zealand, expressed the willingness of both the government and IBM to transform the future with respect to technology. He was quoted as saying that:

This agreement is a testament to our forty-year partnership with the Australian Government. It shows trust and belief in our ability to transform and provide world-leading capabilities, leveraging our investments locally in AI, blockchain, quantum and cloud. We look forward to helping the Australian Government to re-define the digital experience for the benefit of all Australians.

The exact details of the contract and partnership were not disclosed but IBM already has agreements in place with four federal agencies in the country. This new contract, spearheaded by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), will allow the partnership to expand to the remainder of the government.

One of IBM’s notable partners in the blockchain industry, is Stellar (XLM). IBM is already currently using 9 Stellar nodes as part of its backbone to settle cross border payments across the globe.

The same IBM has used the Stellar blockchain together with Veridium Labs, to create a token economy for carbon credits on the blockchain. This project will allow for transparent and secure tracking of carbon emissions from big companies and institutions to further aid in the reduction and eventual elimination of the green house effect that has been blamed for a lot of climate change.

With the new deal between the Australian Government and IBM, one is left to wonder if they will in turn utilize the Stellar blockchain for further solutions for the country.