Vancouver, BC – September 9, 2024 – DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, celebrates the impacts delivered through its $500+ million investments in Canadian-led, AI-enabled innovations. Through these investments, Canadian organizations are solving some of the most pressing challenges in health, environmental sustainability and productivity while accelerating economic opportunities for Canadians.
As one of Canada’s leaders in the development and commercialization of digital technologies, DIGITAL continues to advance Canada’s AI advantage with new co-investments announced today of over $53 million towards AI-enabled solutions across the country’s leading industries. These investments are set to leverage an additional $106 million in partner contributions. These new partnerships and technologies are part of DIGITAL’s success in driving innovation that improves human health, enhances environmental sustainability and boosts commercialization of Canadian AI. With these new collaborations, DIGITAL continues to boost Canadian innovation while driving the benefits of AI across industries and communities to benefit Canadians.
Since 2018, DIGITAL has been at the forefront of accelerating Canada’s AI leadership through the development and commercialization of AI-driven solutions. These solutions are using generative AI to rapidly discover novel and better medicines; identify lung abnormalities on chest x-rays in real time; develop human-like intelligence in general purpose robots; reduce disruption to running water in rural communities; enable immersive, no-code training environments in our naval, aviation and security industries; target narrow-vein critical mineral deposits; and so much more.
“AI is a cornerstone of improved productivity, service delivery, and economic success for companies and citizens,” said Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL. “By uniting industry leaders, innovators and academic partners, and focusing on commercialization, talent development and AI adoption frameworks, we’re solving today’s challenges and building the environment to accelerate breakthrough innovation that keeps Canada at the cutting-edge of global AI innovation. The benefits of AI development and commercialization will support lives of Canadians and communities across the country.”
“The 11 projects announced today, spanning the health, mining, education, agriculture and ocean sectors, show how DIGITAL and its project partners are making an impact in the artificial intelligence ecosystem,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Government of Canada. “AI has a significant impact on the lives and work of Canadians, and through innovative projects like these, we are securing Canada’s AI advantage while building a stronger, more sustainable and more secure economy for all.”
The new $53 million co-investment from DIGITAL will be allocated across high impact projects that continue DIGITAL’s expertise in addressing critical challenges in healthcare, sustainable mining, agriculture, education, security, human resources, and beyond. The diversity of these investments is founded on a common goal: to harness the power of AI to drive meaningful change and cement Canada’s position as a global leader in the development and deployment of AI innovation.
Examples of these new technologies and collaborations include:
- Led by Agi3, this consortium is leveraging AI to generate hyper-individualized, actionable insights and personalized risk profiles for a variety of purposes such as crop insurance, finance and sustainability within the agricultural sector. The resulting enhanced farm-level decision making will support addressing impacts on global food security from supply chain bottlenecks, decreasing total land under crop and rapidly changing climates.
- Led by Ideon Technologies, this consortium is delivering an AI-powered subsurface imaging and intelligence solution to the global mining industry that reduces time to market, cost, risk and environmental impact, while facilitating development of the sustainable critical metals supply chains needed to fuel the energy transition.
- Led by Satisfai Health, this consortium is accelerating the development of AI-driven software that conducts automated measurements of intestinal ultrasound images (IUS) as a less invasive, point-of-care, and less expensive solution than colonoscopies and other traditional radiological imaging to monitor and treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition which currently impacts over 320,000 Canadians.
- Led by Medtronic Canada, this consortium is integrating multiple AI-driven technologies to prevent and manage pressure injuries (PIs), also known as bedsores or pressure sores, which currently affect 26% of patients across Canada and degrade quality of life for patients often already experiencing severe illness or debility at their most vulnerable times, while requiring costly and long hospitalizations to address.
- Led by Impro.AI, this consortium is scaling AI-driven assistant technology to help guide corporate performance strategists step-by-step on how to improve employee performance, as a key to organizational growth and productivity.
- Led by Calabrio Canada, this consortium is developing an AI-driven platform to manage both virtual and human agents for telemedicine and patient contact centers, enabling positive patient experiences and addressing Canada’s increasing care worker shortage with projections of over 100,000 nurses by 2030.
- Led by SeafarerAI, this consortium is building an AI-powered architecture for real-time monitoring of underwater noise, which has doubled in intensity within the north Pacific Ocean over the past 60 years, threatening marine mammals and endangered species.
- Led by FluidAI, this consortium is developing an AI-powered postoperative patient management platform that accurately assesses the risk of postoperative complications, such as anastomotic leaks and respiratory depression following general and gastrointestinal (GI) surgeries. These insights will be used to assist surgeons in making quicker and more informed decisions regarding patient care, with earlier interventions providing potential for patients to go home sooner and healthier.
- Led by Goosechase, this consortium is developing an AI agent to empower educators by helping to create high-quality tailored interactive learning experiences for their students.
- Led by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, this consortium is introducing innovative geotechnical and geometallurgical tests, integrating automated drill core scanners and AI methodologies to create better 3D block models of ore deposits with enhanced geotechnical, mineral processing and environmental characteristics. The result will address the challenges of conventional approaches in generating these 3D block models, applicable to both gold and critical minerals required in green and digital technology solutions.
- Led by Expeflow, this consortium is developing AI agents that will work alongside mental health professionals automating time-consuming administrative tasks, protecting patient data and freeing up valuable clinician time.
Background
Through strategic collaborations, DIGITAL’s co-investments of over $200 million have spurred over $300 million of new investment from private industry and other partners, bringing their total investment in Canadian AI solutions to over $500 million and advanced the development of over 220 AI-related products and services, 130 of which are already in the market.
About DIGITAL
DIGITAL is Canada’s leader in accelerating the development and commercialization of Canadian-made digital technologies that address some of the most pressing needs across our economy and society. DIGITAL’s model of collaborative innovation and co-investment advances the success of Canadian businesses through the development, adoption and commercialization of Canadian-made technologies while also growing a workforce that is skilled to fill the jobs of a growing digital economy.
DIGITAL brings together businesses, academia, community and government agencies to solve some of industry and society’s biggest challenges – better and faster than any single organization can do on its own. Through the powerful model that combines cross-sector collaboration, Canadian IP creation and results-based co-investment, we unlock the potential of Canadian industry to lead and succeed in the digital world.
Ahead of the curve starts here. For more information, visit digitalsupercluster.ca
DIGITAL Press Contact:
Sydney Redpath
media@digitalsupercluster.ca