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Government of Canada introduces AI Compute Access Fund to support Canadian innovators

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Fund marks significant step in the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy

OTTAWA, ON, March 7, 2025 /CNW/ – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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.

Today, the Honourable 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. 

Quotes

“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.”

– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Quick facts

The public consultations on the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy ran over the summer of 2024 and received 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 supporting the responsible development and adoption of AI across the Canadian economy through a suite of measures—including the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, and the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems.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 $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 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 also 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.Up to $300 million will go to 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.Canada’s AI sector is a key job creator and driver of productivity, innovation and economic growth:In 2022–23, there were over 140,000 actively engaged AI professionals in Canada, an increase of 29% compared to the previous year.Canada has 10% of the world’s top-tier AI researchers, the second-highest number in the world.Canada ranks first globally for year-over-year growth of women in AI (67% growth in 2022–23 alone), first in the G7 for year-over-year growth of AI talent and, since 2019, first in the G7 for the number of AI-related papers published per capita.The number of AI patents filed by Canadian inventors increased by 57% in 2022–23 compared to the previous year—nearly three times the G7 average of just 23% over the same period.In 2022, the Canadian AI sector attracted over $8.6 billion in venture capital, accounting for nearly 30% of all venture capital activity in Canada.Canada ranks third in the G7 in total funding per capita raised for AI companies, with more than 670 Canadian AI start-ups and 30 Canadian generative AI companies receiving at least one investment deal valued at more than US$1 million since 2019.Today’s announcement follows closely on the call for statements of interest for the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program (SCIP), announced last week. The SCIP will build a state-of-the-art Canadian-owned and located high-performance supercomputing system that will anchor national AI-specific computing infrastructure to meet the needs of Canada’s world-class research and innovation ecosystem.

Associated links

What We Heard: Consultation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) ComputeArtificial intelligence ecosystemCanadian Artificial Intelligence Safety InstituteVoluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI SystemsSecuring Canada’s AI advantage

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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on

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fathom-applauds-introduction-of-the-frontier-act-the-first-federal-blueprint-for-independent-ai-verification-302833546.html

SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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