On March 7, 2025, 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.
AI 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 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.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be incorporated in Canada;
- Have fewer than 500 full-time employees;
- Generate revenue OR have Series A financing;
- Have a Canada-based research and development (R&D) team;
- Develop AI products or services, and have a commercialization plan to demonstrate a clear path to market, including key milestones, target customers, competitive advantages, and strategies for scaling and sustaining the project; and
- Have an existing AI compute service agreement in place.
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.
Timeline
The Spring 2025 intake the AI Compute Access Fund is now open.
