Government of Canada opens applications for the AI Compute Access Fund
Fund will support Canadian SMEs in accessing high-performance compute capacity
OTTAWA, ON, June 25, 2025 /CNW/ - As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to shape our world, the Government of Canada seeks to harness AI's opportunities, mitigate its risks and foster trust. With strategic government investments and support for responsible AI adoption, Canada will grow its AI ecosystem and enhance productivity across the country.
Today, the Government of Canada opened applications for the AI Compute Access Fund, a key initiative under the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy. This fund will provide up to $300 million for affordable access to compute power for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to develop made-in-Canada AI products and solutions.
A due diligence assessment of each project proposal will be conducted to evaluate:
the organization's capacity and experience to implement the project
the project's ability to achieve AI Compute Access Fund objectives
the viability, impact and benefits of the project to Canada
Investing in AI is vital to building the strongest economy in the G7. The Government of Canada remains steadfast in supporting the nation's AI ecosystem with strategic investments that will drive both economic growth and responsible technological advancement. With this commitment, the government is unlocking new opportunities for prosperity, resiliency and national security, while strengthening Canada's leadership position in the global AI landscape.
The Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, including the Access Fund, will help:
scale Canada's AI industry
increase productivity and drive AI adoption rates across the country
make high-performance computing more accessible for small and medium-sized businesses
foster groundbreaking, made-in-Canada AI solutions in sectors such as life sciences, energy and advanced manufacturing
With the AI Compute Access Fund and the broader $2 billion Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, the government is ensuring that Canadian innovators have the tools they need to compete, drive discoveries and create new jobs in a modern, tech-enabled economy.
Quote
"The AI Compute Access Fund will help break down barriers and empower businesses and entrepreneurs to develop made-in-Canada solutions. By supporting Canadians across the country in accessing world-class computing infrastructure, we will boost productivity, drive economic growth and ensure that Canada's digital future is secure and innovative."
– The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Quick facts
Through the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, which was launched in December 2024, the Government of Canada is making strategic investments in public and commercial infrastructure to ensure that Canadian innovators, businesses and researchers have access to the compute capacity they need.
Public consultations on the strategy took place in summer 2024, receiving input from more than 1,000 stakeholders from research, industry and civil society through in-person and virtual round table discussions and an online survey.
The Government of Canada is allocating $2 billion from Budget 2024 through a series of investments to meet the short-, medium- and long-term compute needs of our world-leading innovators, businesses and researchers:
Up to $300 million through the AI Compute Access Fund to support the purchase of AI compute resources by innovative Canadian SMEs. This will meet the near-term needs of businesses as the government encourages increased private capital to build domestic compute capacity.
Up to $700 million to support projects from industry, academia and the private sector to build Canadian AI data centres. There will be an application process for these funds, with priority given to Canadian projects that can demonstrate a high rate of return on public investment, sustainability and other markers of success.
Up to $705 million for a new AI supercomputing system through the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program. This state-of-the-art, Canadian-owned and -located supercomputing system will support researchers and a cross-section of industry, and it will exponentially increase the compute power currently available in Canada. In addition, a smaller secure computing system, to be led by Shared Services Canada and the National Research Council of Canada, will be established for government and industry to perform research and development, including for national security purposes.
In the near term, up to $200 million will be provided to augment existing public compute infrastructure to address immediate needs.
The AI Compute Access Fund was launched in March 2025 to address barriers to AI development in sectors that require high-performance computing capacity and have high potential for AI adoption.
Eligible SMEs can apply by submitting a statement of interest through the online portal.
At the 2025 G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada and its G7 partners agreed to a G7 AI Adoption Roadmap to help SMEs adopt AI to drive productivity and competitiveness. Through the AI Compute Access Fund, Canada is meeting its G7 commitments, placing funding and targeted support for Canadian SMEs where it matters.
Associated links
Stay connected
Find more services and information on the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada website.
SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
33 minutes ago
- Cision Canada
Scale Smarter Edge Deployments with NEXCOM FTA 5190 & Xeon 6 AI Inside
TAIPEI, /CNW/ -- Ideal for intelligent edge infrastructure, the NEXCOM FTA 5190 is a powerful yet compact Edge AI server designed to meet the growing demand for high-performance cybersecurity and AI acceleration. Powered by a 36-core Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC, the FTA 5190 delivers an optimal blend of compute power, ultra-fast connectivity, and built-in intelligence — all packed into a space-efficient 1U rackmount chassis. Built for AI at the edge, the FTA 5190 integrates Intel® Advanced Matrix Extensions (Intel® AMX), accelerating AI inference and smart workloads directly on the edge server. To strengthen cybersecurity at the edge, the FTA 5190 integrates Intel® QuickAssist Technology (QAT) Gen5, which accelerates cryptographic operations and compression tasks. This offload capability boosts throughput for secure SD-WAN, SASE, and zero-trust network architectures, reducing latency and increasing overall system efficiency. For high-speed data processing, the FTA 5190 supports LAN module extension up to 100GbE through the Intel® Ethernet Controller E810, fully optimized with DPDK to boost packet throughput. It offers eight 25GbE SFP+ and eight 1GbE RJ45 ports, providing a flexible and powerful interface mix ideal for data-intensive applications such as 5G core, AI-enabled cybersecurity, multi-access edge computing (MEC) and cloud-native edge services. Despite its powerful hardware and rich features, the FTA 5190 maintains a very compact 1U rackmount form factor, delivering top-tier performance in space-constrained environments. Built for high-density deployments, it's an ideal fit for service providers, telcos, and enterprises seeking to build secure, intelligent, and scalable edge infrastructure. With the FTA 5190, NEXCOM delivers a platform for intelligent, secure, and scalable services at the network edge. From AI-powered analytics to encrypted data flows and high-speed routing, the FTA 5190 represents the next evolution in edge computing infrastructure. About NEXCOM Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, NEXCOM is shaping the future of AI-powered networking with its software-defined solutions. Through its Network and Communication Solutions (NCS) unit, NEXCOM delivers cutting-edge platforms for Cybersecurity, OT Security, SD-WAN, SASE, Load Balancing, 5G uCPE, edge AI, and more. NCS specializes in professional design and manufacturing services, enabling reliable and scalable network infrastructures for businesses of all sizes. With a focus on innovation, NEXCOM's solutions empower customers worldwide to build resilient, high-performance networks tailored to the demands of tomorrow's connectivity challenges. SOURCE NEXCOM International Co., Ltd.
Calgary Herald
37 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
'This is an opportunity': Federal energy minister says world is eying Canada's critical minerals
Article content Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says he constantly hears from other countries that want to buy critical minerals from Canada, and that is presenting the country with an opportunity for economic growth. Article content 'At the G7 (meeting this month in Alberta), all the countries said they wanted to buy Canadian critical minerals,' he said at a Toronto Region Board of Trade event on Wednesday. 'Right now, at the NATO summit, what the prime minister is hearing is that all those countries want to buy our critical minerals. This is an opportunity for us.' Article content Article content Article content Hodgson said Canada needs to ensure it mines critical minerals, but also builds processing facilities so that it can share in some of the wealth created by products made from what it mines. The federal government is focused on ensuring Canada builds major projects quickly and responsibly, he added. Article content Article content Hodgson said Canada is standing at a unique moment in its history that is defined by 'instability.' Supply chains are 'being ripped apart,' climate change is advancing and Canada is in the midst of a 'devastating trade war ' with the United States, its closest trading partner. Article content Last week, the House of Commons passed Bill C-5, which he referred to as the One Canadian Economy Act because he said it would break down interprovincial trade barriers while also ensuring that major nation-building projects, such as mines, pipelines and other infrastructure, are built quickly and with the consent of affected communities. Article content Article content As part of that process, he said Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to hold a summit on July 17 with leaders from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to discuss some of the projects that will be fast-tracked. Article content Article content 'The goal here is to create certainty that catalyzes investment,' Hodgson said. Article content He said Canada also has an opportunity because it is unified in its resolve to grow its economy by working together despite the impending crisis brought on by the trade war. Article content 'This is a trade war we did not ask for, but it is a trade war we must win,' he said. Article content It was similar to the message that Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce delivered when he introduced Hodgson at the event.
Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
The Competition Bureau wants more airline competition, but it won't solve Canada's aviation challenges
A recent market study by the Competition Bureau is calling for more airline competition in Canada's airline industry to reduce fares, increase service quality and provide better services to remote communities. The study reiterates that Canada's domestic air travel market is largely dominated by just two carriers, Air Canada and WestJet. Together, they account for between 56 per cent to 78 per cent of all domestic passenger traffic. This concentration limits passenger choice, and many Canadians feel airfares are high and quality of service is low as a consequence. Increased competition has lowered air fares elsewhere, like in Europe, for example, where low-fares airlines dominate the continental market. However, there have been negative outcomes for consumers. While the bureau positions competition as the solution to the many issues plaguing the industry, it overlooks how an increase in competition can fall short, particularly when it comes to transparency, service quality, labour conditions and regional connectivity. One of the Competition Bureau's key criticisms of Canada's airline industry is the lack of cost transparency when booking flights. Hidden fees and complex fare structures make it difficult for travellers to effectively make comparisons among airlines. But it's unreasonable to expect increased competition - when airlines seek to make their offering more attractive than their competitors - to lead to greater transparency in Canada. In fact, competition has been linked theoretically and empirically to dishonest practices. Europe provides a cautionary example. Increased competition has not led to greater air fare transparency in Europe. Airlines like Ryanair, a low-fare airline and the continent's largest airline by passengers carried, have been accused of hiding fees for passengers. The bureau's study also found that many Canadians are dissatisfied with the quality of service offered by domestic airlines. Yet increased competition is unlikely to raise service standards. As airlines compete to offer the lowest fares, they often look to reduce operating costs, typically at the expense of service quality. Those who suffer the most from airlines minimizing costs are employees, since labour represents one of the few areas where airlines can cut back. The morality and safety implications of introducing wage and employment insecurity to workers within high reliability organizations aside, reducing the quality of employment terms and conditions for workers in such an important industry is short-sighted. Claims of a pilot shortage are contested, and making employment in Canadian aviation less attractive for a highly skilled and crucial occupational group like pilots is a strategic faux pas that could have long-term consequences for the industry's stability. Canada's unique geography means that many remote regions rely on airlines for goods and transport. Yet these areas are not effectively served by the commercial aviation industry. The bureau suggests greater competition could help, but that claim is questionable. The reason existing airlines are not providing a greater number of flights between remote communities and larger airports is because these routes aren't profitable. Rather than expanding service, a more competitive market could shrink route availability because airlines could abandon less profitable routes or refuse to compete on routes where a market leader emerges. To its credit, the bureau offers several recommendations for northern and remote communities. But these communities are unlikely to benefit from competition alone. In fact, increased competition would likely mean airlines will focus on profitable routes and remove those that don't yield high profits. Europe's airline industry is once again instructive. Eurocontrol, a pan-European organization dedicated to the success of commercial aviation in Europe, states that "domestic aviation in Europe has experienced a substantial and persistent decline over the past two decades," including the demise of regional operators serving lower-density routes. Where routes have been maintained - in Norway, for example - it's as a consequence of public service obligations that guarantee essential routes are maintained through government support. It's because of public service obligations, not competition, that the Canadian government can serve remote communities. Without such safeguards, increased competition has the potential to do more harm than good. The bureau also recommended relaxing rules around foreign ownership within the Canadian airline industry so that a wholly foreign owned airline can compete domestically. But not all airlines are equal. Some, like Qatar Airways, are backed by the government of their home state. Qatar Airways has purchased stakes in airlines in Asia Pacific and Africa. Competition with airlines such as Qatar Airways is inherently unfair because of the huge financial support it receives. Allowing such state-backed carriers into the Canadian market could place domestic airlines at a significant competitive disadvantage. This could not only weaken Canadian airlines, but also be detrimental to the Canadian economy if domestic carriers are pushed out.
