SCALE AI propels Québec companies with support for AI projects totalling nearly $40 million
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health and Member of Parliament (MP) for Québec City, along with Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert, attended a ceremony at the head office of Vooban, a project partner, highlighting the four recent projects involving Québec businesses that are receiving support from SCALE AI, the global innovation supercluster dedicated to artificial intelligence.
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health and Member of Parliament (MP) for Québec City, along with Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert, attended a ceremony at the head office of Vooban, a project partner, highlighting the four recent projects involving Québec businesses that are receiving support from SCALE AI, the global innovation supercluster dedicated to artificial intelligence. With investments totalling $39.4 million, the projects led by Coveo, GUAY, Groupe Canam and BIM One are proof that adoption of AI is accelerating in the retail and construction sectors, as well as in development of innovative enterprise solutions.
As mentioned in SCALE AI’s most recent research report, AI at Scale, the Québec City region is among the 17 top AI ecosystems to watch, contributing to the significant number of new companies being created in the AI field in Canada, which rank the country ahead of its rivals for the number of AI start-ups per capita.
In addition, the four companies own 100% of the intellectual property generated by their projects funded by SCALE AI, a crucial measure for boosting the country’s global competitive advantage in AI.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science & Industry, says: “Investing in innovation, especially in artificial intelligence, is paramount to growing our economy and cementing our position as a global leader. The projects being showcased today demonstrate how the SCALE AI cluster plays a key role in supporting Canada’s artificial intelligence sector, notably that of Quebec, and ultimately creating highly skilled jobs and a more resilient supply chain, and enabling our companies to be more efficient and competitive.”
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, federal Minister of Health and MP for Québec City, adds: “Having an AI-fuelled economy drives massive productivity gains across all sectors of the economy and helps secure our competitiveness worldwide.
“The projects announced today will help strengthen the economies of both Québec and Canada, improving the resilience of supply chains and supporting businesses that are dealing with major industrial transformations.”
— The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, federal Minister of Health and MP for Québec City
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Québec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, adds: “SCALE AI is a major player in the deployment of artificial intelligence, and its expertise will be most useful for informing thinking about how to frame the use of AI.”
“Integrating AI while developing it ethically and responsibly are vital to ensuring Québec’s productivity.”
— Pierre Fitzgibbon, Québec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region
Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert, notes: “Artificial intelligence poses many challenges and also offers many opportunities to improve our competitiveness and generate innovation in Québec and the rest of Canada. I’m proud that our government is supporting local businesses like Vooban, GUAY, Coveo and Groupe Canam, which are capitalizing on Canadian expertise in this field to develop and bring to market innovative technologies.”
“In collaboration with SCALE AI, we are strengthening our supply chains, energizing our economy and cementing the positions of Canada and Québec as global innovation leaders.”
— Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert
Julien Billot, CEO, SCALE AI, explains: “Over the past five years, with its investments in tangible AI projects, SCALE AI has built an ecosystem that has enabled several Québec-based SMEs to shine both locally and internationally. At the same time, SCALE AI is helping to build a regulatory framework for AI that will enable local companies to develop ethical, responsible AI and continue to grow our economy.”
Hélène Desmarais, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI, adds: “In recent years, artificial intelligence has been developing at a phenomenal rate in Québec. These recent projects illustrate the important role of AI in helping organizations become more efficient, reduce their carbon footprint and improve service delivery, among other things.”
“These companies are developing know-how, expertise and intellectual property that are now available to the broader market and to any Canadian company interested in developing AI.”
— Hélène Desmarais, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI
4 projects in Québec representing investments of $39.4 million
AI-Powered Experience and Profit Optimization
Partners: Coveo, IVADO Labs
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Optimization of crane allocation
Partners: GUAY inc., Vooban
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Intelligent structural steel design and estimating system
Partners: Canam Group Inc., RJC Engineers, McIntosh Perry Consulting Engineers, Moov AI, CICIEM (Concordia University)
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AI to enhance capabilities in early issue handling
Partners: BIM One, Nexapp, Moov AI, CIMA+, Clark Builders
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