Canada’s AI Global Innovation Cluster recently announced nearly $100 million in total investments across more than 20 AI-powered projects.
The investments span the with of the country and also a spectrum of sectors including life sciences, manufacturing, and agriculture, according to a statement from the Montreal-based SCALE AI.
Artificial intelligence is a “powerful tool to enhance our resource management,” posits the federally supported organization, which selected projects based on “their potential to deliver concrete economic and human benefits and intellectual property advancements for the players involved and for the Canadian AI ecosystem.”
“The Scale AI team has diligently crafted a suite of promising use cases within our AI ecosystem, fortifying our prowess and propelling Canada to the forefront of the global AI arena,” said Julien Billot, chief executive of SCALE AI.
Projects supported by the organization advance technology and also act as “catalyst for job creation and economic growth, opening up new opportunities for skilled employment in the Canadian AI sector,” according to Hélène Desmarais, who serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for SCALE AI.
“Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest technological transformations of our age,” stated François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry.
In B.C., Vancouver-based technology firm InDro Robotics is working alongside Ottawa’s Lemay.AI to outfit a 300-store retailer with artificially intelligent features.
The local project, “Smart Replenishment and Smart Capacity,” has received a total of $5 million in investment, including $1.9M from SCALE, to empower LFL Group’s locations with AI tech that utilizes a fully autonomous AMR tethered drone solution that captures inventory data and predicts consumer demand to optimize warehouse space and supply chain efficiency.
“LFL Group is excited to further enhance the retail experience,” stated Mike Walsh, chief executive of the retailer. “This project encompasses cutting-edge AI in combination with drones to ensure the right product is in the right place at the right time for our customers.”
InDro Robotics is known for combining drone and AI technologies to deliver avant-garde solutions.
“Through Smart Replenishment and Smart Capacity, InDro Robotics is redefining inventory management, making it more autonomous, predictive, responsive, and efficient than ever before,” Philip Reece, CEO, stated.
Reece’s company is also working with The City of Kelowna as the Okanagan ushers in what it calls a “new era of high-tech agriculture.”
A pilot project sees a fleet of drones and other robots cover 200 acres of apple, pear, and cherry trees across a range of farms selected by Regional District Central Okanagan.
The data collected by the orchard roving technologies is expected to help local farmers increase yields, reduce overhead, improve water use efficiencies, and assure competitiveness in the global market.
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