PledgeMe Campaign

Back the Build

Help bring private, local AI to New Zealand homes and classrooms. We're building a multi-node Apple M4 cluster — a community AI server with no subscriptions, no cloud, and no data leaving Aotearoa. The more people back this campaign, the more powerful the cluster grows for everyone.

Back Us on PledgeMe Community Funding
Back the Build

PledgeMe Campaign — Giga Power Universe: Infinite AI

We're building a multi-node Apple M4 cluster — a private AI community server running the largest open-source models for NZ members. Every pledge grows the cluster. The more we raise, the more nodes we add and the more powerful it becomes for the whole community.

NZ$6,200
funding goal
no subscriptions
NZ
owned & operated
Automatic perks

Every supporter gets — regardless of tier

Your name on the Giga Power Universe supporters wall
3 months community membership
10% off prototype machine purchases — backers only
1 month free access to server models — from launch date or first login, whichever comes later
Spark

Supporter

$10–50

For the curious supporter who believes in the mission. Small pledge, real impact on local AI sovereignty.

  • Your name on the supporters wall
  • Project updates + thank-you email
Community

Founding Member

$80

12 months of community access — locked in at the lowest rate ever offered. Founding Members keep this rate forever.

  • Guides, tutorials & peer support
  • Founding Member badge (permanent)
  • Lock in lowest rate forever
Learning

Starter Pack

$200–350

For the hands-on learner — everything you need to get local AI running, plus personal support from Seas.

  • Beginner setup guide (any computer)
  • Printed A3 AI Cheat Sheet (shipped)
  • 3 months community membership
  • Personal 30–90 min setup call with Seas
Hardware

Hardware Voucher

$500–700

For the committed builder — back the campaign and get more than your money back when you're ready to buy.

  • NZ$700 discount voucher — redeemable against any single or multi-GPU machine
  • 6 months community membership
  • Priority support from Seas
  • Valid 24 months
Origin · Early Backer

RAG Chat Machine

$550

Your first step into private AI. Built, pre-configured with chat & document Q&A, and shipped anywhere in New Zealand. Plug in and go.

  • Intel N-series mini PC · 8–16 GB RAM · 128 GB NVMe
  • Document RAG pipeline — ask anything from your files
  • 3 months community membership
  • 30-min onboarding call with Seas
Ascension · Save $400

AMD iGPU MiniPC

$1,200

GPU-accelerated inference at ~15–25 tokens/second — noticeably faster than CPU-only. Handles image generation, agents, and heavier models with ease.

  • AMD Ryzen 5 · 16–32 GB RAM · 256 GB NVMe
  • Linux — GPU-accelerated inference out of the box
  • Image generation & 24/7 AI agent ready
  • 6 months community membership
  • 60-min onboarding & personalisation session
Legacy · Gift a Machine

School AI Donation

$1,000

A RAG Chat Machine donated in your name to a NZ school of your choosing — or one from our education waiting list. Give a classroom the gift of private AI.

  • Machine built with student-safe settings & delivered
  • Teacher setup session included
  • Certificate of donation in your name / organisation
  • Recognition on education supporters page
  • Tax receipt available on request
Community Funding

Pool resources with your community

Not ready to back the PledgeMe campaign alone? Pool resources with your school, business, iwi, or community group and share a machine together.

How community funding works

Form a group

Gather your school, business syndicate, community org, or neighbourhood group

Choose a machine

Pick the right AI hardware tier for your group's needs and split the cost

Pool contributions

Each member contributes their share — we hold funds until the target is hit

We build & configure

Your machine is built, pre-configured with AI tools, and delivered ready to run

Shared access begins

Every contributor gets private, unlimited access — no subscriptions, ever

Campaign types

Six ways communities are funding AI

Community AI Hubs

Co-fund a shared local AI server for your neighbourhood, co-working space, or community group. Everyone gets private inference access — split the hardware cost, share the unlimited compute power.

68% Active · 14 contributors

Example campaign · $1,360 of $2,000 raised

School AI Lab Campaigns

Parents, teachers, and local businesses jointly funding an AI lab for their school. Purpose-built bundles, transparent costs, real AI literacy for students — no subscriptions, no data leaving the building.

45% Active · 22 contributors

Example campaign · $1,575 of $3,500 raised

Home School Collectives

Home-schooling families pooling funds for a shared AI machine — rotating access schedules, shared learning libraries, and a private tutor agent available to every child in the collective at no ongoing cost.

82% Nearly there · 8 families

Example campaign · $574 of $700 raised

SME Syndicate Builds

Small businesses in the same industry co-funding a shared AI workstation. Split across 3–5 businesses, the cost becomes trivial while the capability — private document AI, reporting agents, automation — remains extraordinary.

33% Early stage · 3 businesses

Example campaign · $1,155 of $3,500 raised

Research & Startup Grants

Researchers and early-stage startups accessing crowd-funded GPU infrastructure — community-backed compute for projects that benefit the many, not just the well-funded few. Grant-style campaigns welcome.

57% Active · 31 backers

Example campaign · $2,850 of $5,000 raised

Regional AI Infrastructure

Councils, iwi, and regional groups funding distributed AI nodes — bringing sovereign AI capability to rural communities, without dependency on overseas cloud providers or concerns about where community data travels.

24% Just launched · 7 orgs

Example campaign · $2,400 of $10,000 raised

Why it works

The community advantage

Shared cost, full power

A $3,500 workstation split across 7 contributors is $500 each — but every member gets full access to the same capability.

No subscriptions, ever

Pay once for hardware. Never pay monthly fees, per-token charges, or API costs. The machine is yours as a group forever.

Sovereign infrastructure

Community-owned, locally operated. No overseas data centres, no third-party access, no corporate dependency.

Transparent & trustworthy

All campaign costs are published upfront. Funds are only collected once targets are met. No hidden fees.

Questions

Frequently asked

All contributions are held until the campaign target is met. If a campaign doesn't reach its goal within the agreed timeframe, all contributors receive a full refund. No funds are used until the full hardware cost is covered.
We configure each machine with per-user accounts and optional scheduling tools so all contributors get fair access. For smaller groups this is often informal; for larger deployments we set up a central management dashboard.
Absolutely. Get in touch via the contact page and we'll help you design the right machine tier for your group's needs, set up the campaign page, and guide contributors through the process. We've done this for schools, iwi, co-working spaces, and SME networks.
The group collectively owns the machine. You decide as a group where it lives — typically at the most central or most-used contributor's premises, or in a dedicated server space. We provide the setup, ongoing support options are available separately.
Every machine comes pre-configured and ready to use — with AI chat, document Q&A (RAG), and image generation tools already set up. Additional automation frameworks can be included on request at no extra software cost.

Build your community AI together

Tell us about your group and we'll design a campaign and machine bundle that fits your community perfectly.

Start a Campaign Browse Machines

“From a single classroom in New Zealand to a movement across Aotearoa — Giga Power Universe is proving that AI doesn't have to mean surveillance, subscriptions, or dependency. Own your machine. Own your data. Own your future.”

Giga Power Universe