Ottawa – Compute is the processing power, the chips and the data centres, behind artificial intelligence (AI). It is the backbone of this transformative new technology. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting access to cutting-edge compute infrastructure to secure Canada’s AI advantage and empower researchers and industries to thrive.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, launched the AI Compute Access Fund. This Fund will provide up to $300 million for affordable access to compute power for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop made-in-Canada AI products and solutions.
The AI Compute Access Fund will allow innovators to access the compute capacity they need to enable the complex calculations that drive AI systems. This will address barriers to AI development in sectors that require high-performance computing capacity and demonstrate high potential for AI adoption, such as health and life sciences, energy and advanced manufacturing.
This initiative is part of the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, a federal investment of $2 billion. These efforts will secure Canada’s AI leadership by ensuring access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure, which attracts more global AI investment to Canada, develops and attracts the best talent, and helps Canadian researchers and businesses compete and succeed on the world stage.
“AI has the potential to be transformative across sectors, yet we know that the cost of compute and other barriers obstruct small- and medium-sized enterprises from developing the next generation of AI products . As such, our government is proud to announce the AI Compute Access Fund, which will spur innovation and enable SMEs to compete on a more level playing field with larger companies. We are positioning Canada at the forefront of the AI revolution – and our government knows that when we all innovate, we all win.” – François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry