Canada's AI Adoption Accelerates, Driving Growth for Industries: Nearly $100M Invested in 23 New Projects Through SCALE AI's Latest Funding Round
While SCALE AI is funding projects from coast to coast, today's announcement supports initiatives led by businesses in Quebec adopting AI technologies, demonstrating a remarkable diversity of use cases, ranging from planning and scheduling aircraft maintenance, forecasting retail demand and optimizing inventory, to deploying AI-driven sorting lines in recycling centres, among other innovative applications.
Mobilizing both public and private capital is essential to scaling transformative technologies like AI, as it helps de-risk major innovation investments and creates the right conditions for businesses to adopt cutting-edge technologies with confidence. The projects announced today were financed with a 2-to-1 ratio of private investment to public funds, reflecting a clear understanding among businesses of how AI can accelerate their growth and productivity.
The announcement took place at SCALE AI's offices in the presence of Evan Solomon , Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. The event also offered the Minister a platform to engage and discuss with major enterprises integrating AI into their operations, alongside SMEs and startups driving innovation through the development of Canadian AI technologies.
This recent round of investments reinforces Canada's AI ecosystem by supporting homegrown AI developers to grow and scale, and enabling the broader AI ecosystem to bring innovations to market and compete globally.
Quotes
"AI is one of the most powerful drivers of Canada's future economy. By investing in real-world applications through SCALE AI, we're turning Canadian innovation into productivity—across manufacturing, transport, and beyond. This is how Canada leads: by building, adopting, and scaling homegrown solutions."— The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
" Canada is a pioneer in artificial intelligence, and today we are turning our early innovations into competitive advantages for Canadian industry. The federal government is working with partners like SCALE AI to grow our economy through the implementation of AI solutions across many sectors, spurring growth and attracting investment to Quebec and across Canada ." — The Honourable Mélanie Joly , Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
"This announcement clearly illustrates the accelerating adoption of AI across Canada . AI is no longer confined to a small circle of tech players — it is now emerging as a strategic lever across an increasingly diverse range of sectors. New industries are boldly embracing this transformation, driven by ambitious use cases and the growing uptake of a wide spectrum of technologies, from proven systems to the most advanced generative AI solutions. This momentum, which SCALE AI is actively supporting through this funding round, reflects a new level of maturity in our ecosystem and confirms that AI is becoming a cross-cutting and lasting driver of competitiveness for the Canadian economy." — Julien Billot , CEO of SCALE AI
"We are witnessing the outstanding strides Canadian industry has made in leveraging AI across all industries. AI solutions and products have unparalleled potential to reshape business models, refine decision-making processes, and empower workforces to unlock the full potential of organizations. Our vision is clear: to create a future where AI becomes an essential pillar of every Canadian business strategy. Canada is well placed to play a leading role in this massive technological revolution, thanks first and foremost to the excellence of our research and talent. SCALE AI works at the intersection of business and academia, building the connective tissue of Canada's AI ecosystem. By co-investing in high-impact projects and nurturing a dynamic network of startups, service providers, researchers and adopters, SCALE AI is accelerating the commercialization of AI." — Hélène Desmarais, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI
23 New Projects Representing Investments of $98 .6 Million
To learn more about the projects, click here.
→ Precision Immunology (Phase 1 & Phase 2)
Partners: CellCarta, Epitopea, Aramis Biotechnologies, GENAIZ, York University
SCALE AI investment: $3.7 million
Total investment: $11.5 million
→ Optimizing the Steel Supply Chain With AI
Partners: Groupe ADF Inc., DPHV – D'Aronco, Pineau, Hébert, Varin, Nova steel, Vooban
SCALE AI investment: $3.2 million
Total investment: $12 million
→ Strategic Aftermarket Modelling (SAM) – (Phase 1 & Phase 2)
Partners: Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc., McKinsey & Company, Vooban, Moov AI, Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII)
SCALE AI investment: $3 million
Total investment: $13.9 million
→ NIC™: Mining Operations Management Platform
Partners: ArcelorMittal Exploitation minière Canada s.e.n.c., HalfSerious, AÇAÏ, Université Laval - Institut Intelligence et Données
SCALE AI investment: $2.7 million
Total investment: $7.8 million
→ Development of Automated Material Characterization Systems in Material Recovery Facilities
Partners: Industries Machinex Inc., Seika Logiciel Inc., Centre en imagerie numérique et médias interactifs (CIMMI), Updata, Tricentris
SCALE AI investment: $2 million
Total investment: $5.6 million
→ Rio Tinto – RailVu – Optimization of the Rail Network With AI
Partners: Rio Tinto Iron Ore Company of Canada, QNS&L – Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway, SimWell, Tata Steel Minerals Canada, Tacora, Port de Sept-Îles, MFQ - Minerai de fer Québec, Claude-Guy Quimper from Institute Intelligence and data - Université Laval
SCALE AI investment: $1.7 million
Total investment: $4.4 million
→ AI-Driven Demand Forecasting
Partners: Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., Multitech Valorisation Inc., IVADO Labs
SCALE AI investment: $1.6 million
Total investment: $4 million
→ Flyer Production Automation
Partners: Transcontinental Inc., Canadian Tire Corporation,IVADO Labs, KPDI Digital
SCALE AI investment: $1 million
Total investment: $2.5 million
→ Avianor: Planning and Scheduling of Aircraft Repair
Partners: Avianor Inc., PAMC, Air Canada, Vooban.
SCALE AI investment: $1.2 million
Total investment: $2.9 million
→ AI-Enhanced ERP for Driving Manufacturing Productivity
Partners: Genius Solutions, Machitech, LG Cloutier Group, Osedea, Catalytik Innovation
SCALE AI investment: $1million
Total investment: $2.6 million
→ Nordfab—SaCad Project
Partners: Groupe NordFab, Prestolam Inc., Christian Marcoux cuisine et mobilier design, Vooban, SIMR
SCALE AI investment: $0.9 million
Total investment: $2.1 million
→ Preventing Demand for Direct-to-Store Delivery
Partners: CIS Group, Boulangerie St-Méthode, Dion Herbes & Épices, Moov AI
SCALE AI investment: $0.9 million
Total investment: $2.9 million
→ Generative AI Assistance for In-Store Operations Optimization
Partners: Canac-Marquis Grenier Ltee, Frontleap, Hectiq.AI
SCALE AI investment: $0.9 million
Total investment: $1.7 million
→ CollectorOPT
Partners: RPM Environnement Ltée d.b.a. RPM ECO (MC), Oscal, Vooban, Inovestor, Sanza Inc.
SCALE AI investment: $0.7 million
Total investment: $1.8 million
→ AI-Powered Knowledge Leadership
Partners: Cossette Communication Inc., Hivelighter
SCALE AI investment: $0.7 million
Total investment: $1.7 million
→ Intelligent Management of Construction Plans and Resources
Partners: Groupe Humaco, Manugypse Inc., Lefebvre & Benoit, Vooban, Génisys Groupe Conseil
SCALE AI investment: $0.5 million
Total investment: $1.3 million
→ Demand Forecasting and Fulfillment Optimization
Partners: Avantis Coopérative, BMR, Quincaillerie Richelieu Ltée, Société Les Peintures Pittsburgh, Vooban
SCALE AI investment: $0.4 million
Total investment: $1.1 million
→ Enhancing E-Commerce Search (Phase 1 & Phase 2)
Partners: Coveo Solutions Inc., IVADO Labs, Lee Valley Tools, Canac-Marquis Grenier Ltee
SCALE AI investment: $4.5 million
Total investment: $16.1 million
→ Accelerating ZetaForge GenAI-Powered Digital Transformations Platform
Partners: Zetane Systems, IVACO Rolling Mills, Trinary, Maison Social
SCALE AI investment: $0.6 million
Total investment: $1.6 million
→ Qualification and Intelligent Writing of a Call for Proposals
Partners: Umaneo, Groupe GEYSER, Groupe Baillargeon-MSA, Tessier Récréo-Parc Inc.
SCALE AI investment: $0.5 million
Total investment: $1.1 million
About SCALE AI (scaleai.ca)
SCALE AI is Canada's global innovation cluster in artificial intelligence (AI). Based in Toronto and Montreal , SCALE AI plays a central role as the main unifying force of the Canadian AI ecosystem. As an investment and innovation hub, it accelerates the rapid adoption and integration of AI into the Canadian economy while contributing to the development of a world-class AI ecosystem. Funded by the Government of Canada , SCALE AI brings together over 500 industry partners, research institutes, and other key players in AI. It provides strategic and financial support to companies implementing real-world AI applications, aiming to encourage the emergence of future industry leaders and facilitate the development of a highly skilled workforce. Additionally, SCALE AI is behind ALL IN, Canada's largest AI event that allows Canadian actors to showcase their expertise in front of an international audience from around the globe. For more information about SCALE AI, visit scaleai.ca or LinkedIn.
SOURCE Scale AI
Eric Aach, [email protected], 514-569-3594
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