Adelaide has the fastest internet in Australia which is enabling the city to rapidly develop high technology industries of the future.

South Australia has a deep automotive and defence manufacturing history and one of the state's greatest strengths is the development and adoption of new technologies. Across Adelaide’s universities, research centres are carrying out globally significant work in new manufacturing methods. This includes technologies such as nanotechnology, photonics, radar and robotics. All three universities in Adelaide offer postgraduate programs in computing, information technology and engineering.

Adelaide is Australia’s first member of the global GigCity network. GigCity Adelaide provides extremely fast gigabit-speed internet - 100 times faster than the national average. The network gives entrepreneurs and businesses in Adelaide’s innovation precincts access to affordable high-speed internet and helps businesses develop and collaborate on new ideas, products, and services.

In 2015, technology giant Cisco declared Adelaide to be Australia’s (and the Southern Hemisphere’s) first ‘Lighthouse City’. Cisco chose Adelaide because of its leadership, innovation and ability to embrace smart city technologies.

Adelaide is also Australia's centre for cyber security and defence technology research and the headquarters of Australia’s cyber and electronic capabilities and research programs. The city is also home to the Australian Institution for Machine Learning and will soon join New York, Beijing and Istanbul as a global leader in data analytics with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) setting up a Living Lab as well. The Living Lab will bring together the public, private and research sectors to analyse big data to determine the most effective ways for South Australia to drive both economic and sustainable population growth.