FirstWave files patent for AI-driven network fault diagnosis system

ASX-listed FirstWave Cloud Technology has filed a provisional patent application with IP Australia for an AI-driven network monitoring and fault diagnosis system, as it moves to commercialise research developed with CSIRO and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

The system uses a multi-agent AI architecture, orchestrated by large language models, to detect network faults and automatically investigate their root cause.

Rather than a single model producing a single diagnosis, specialised AI agents reason over network context, apply operational knowledge and coordinate with each other to test and rule out explanations until they reach what the company describes as a verified, explainable diagnosis - and, potentially, automated restoration of services.

The technology also introduces AI-driven adaptive thresholds that learn the normal operating behaviour of each device, raising and automatically investigating alerts when abnormal patterns occur, often before a fault causes an outage.

Engineers can then work with the AI through a conversational interface, directing further investigation or requesting alternative fixes before approving the final resolution. Each approved fix is captured as operational knowledge for future use.

FirstWave said the system is built directly into its NMIS suite - which already includes opEvents and opCharts - and draws on device history and telemetry those products are already collecting.

The company said this gives it an advantage over standalone AI tools, as the underlying data and the software it licenses to clients are already in place.

Named clients including John Deere and Telmex have asked for the capability.

FirstWave is preparing to launch the technology either as a set of upsell features or a standalone module. Network monitoring is the company's largest revenue line, growing 34% to $6.93m in FY26.

"Network monitoring is our largest and fastest-growing revenue line and this patent is a deliberate decision to put AI at the centre of it," said Danny Maher, chief executive at FirstWave.

"The core strength of our NMIS platform is its ability to collect, manage and present enormous amounts of data from a wide range of technologies. This data sits on premise within our software and as such we are in a prime position to apply AI technologies to make that data more valuable for our clients and therefore better monetise that data for FirstWave."