Through the fund, Ottawa will invest in made-in-Canada compute infrastructure. These are hardware and software systems that are specifically designed to support AI technology – such as machine learning and deep learning research.
“Currently, most compute infrastructure is in other countries, which is a barrier for AI firms and researchers. Through the new AI Compute Access Fund, we’re breaking through those barriers and ensuring that Canada is competitive in the global race to secure our AI advantage,” says Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister. “Crucially, we are reducing Canada’s reliance on privately owned computing outside of Canada, that comes with security risks.”
A recent Mercer report found that 4 in 10 executives predict AI will deliver gains of more than 30 per cent in productivity.
