The Canadian government is seeking Statements of Interest for its AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program.
Proposals from non and for-profit organizations, academic institutions, and consortia are all welcome but must meet four criteria outlined by the government: Canadian AI ecosystem expertise, technical capacity, management and leadership capacity, and financial contribution expectations.
Interested parties have until April 14, 2025, to submit their proposals.
Also known as the Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, the program was first announced by the Canadian government in December 2024. It is a three-pronged investment vehicle that aims to support the country’s AI ecosystem over a five-year period, starting 2024-25.
To support strategy, the government plans to invest CA$2 billion (US$1.39bn) to launch new initiatives that will give Canadian researchers and AI companies the tools they need to be competitive globally.
This includes up to CA$300 million (US$208m) to provide SMEs with affordable access to compute power, CA$700 million (US$485m) to leverage investments in new or expanded data centers, and CA$1 billion (US$693m) to build “transformational” public supercomputing infrastructure – although that final figure has seemingly now been downgraded by the government to CA$705 million (US$488m).
“Over the past decade, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been significant, rapid, and transformative,” a government statement read. “The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that AI systems are developed and deployed safely and responsibly, governed by clear rules that align with the values of human rights, inclusion, and diversity, while supporting Canadian innovation and economic growth.”
A month after the AI Compute program’s launch, the Canadian government announced it would also be putting forward a funding package of CA$74 million (US$52 million) to support 107 projects as part of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
