From Prison to an ASX IPO: Oliver Curtis and the Bet on Australia's AI Future

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Oliver Curtis is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.What happens when a man with everything to prove builds a company that Nvidia, Meta and Blackstone can't ignore?Oliver Curtis – a convicted insider trader and now aspiring ASX-listed company CEO – sits down with Joe Aston for one of the most candid conversations in Australian business. This is a story about second chances, big bets, and a technology race that could reshape Australia's economy for generations.​​Curtis makes the case that AI token production is Australia's next commodity boom, arguing it could be as big as the country's iron ore industry. He claims that Firmus' cost of production, plus its distinctive chip cooling technology, is well positioned to lead it. But how does a neocloud operator that started life as a Bitcoin miner end up as a strategic partner to Nvidia, the world's most valuable company?We get into all of it: why hyperscalers like Meta are a customer (well, not that Curtis will confirm that just yet) and how Firmus plans to deploy more than $70 billion (yes, you read that right) of capital expenditure in the three years to 2028. Curtis doesn't dodge the hard questions – it's his first interview since he left Cooma Correctional Centre in 2017 after spending a year in jail for insider trading. When asked by Aston about his co-conspirator turned Crown witness John Hartman (now CEO at Andrew Forrest's Tattarang) Curtis is loath to engage, arguing that it's in the past and he's focused on the future. Curtis also reflects that while people may have made judgements about him based on glimpses on his famous wife Roxy Jacenko's social media account, they're often wide of the mark. Undoubtedly, Curtis is a man on the hard sell, but this interview dispels any notion that he lacks substance.You don't want to miss it.Rampart Talks is brought to you by BHP, Generation Life and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Instagram and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksExecutive Producer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Sales: Squiz Media