MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - With five projects, totalling $16.6 million in investments announced today by SCALE AI, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration movement continues apace. From quality control to the optimization of transportation assets to diagnostic tools for truck maintenance, each of these projects demonstrates the infinite diversity of AI applications. With a direct contribution of $6.68 million, including $4.04 million from the Government of Canada and $2.64 million from the Government of Quebec, SCALE AI is once again playing its role as a lever to scale up the deployment of AI in Canadian companies.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said, "The artificial intelligence sector is a driver of long-term growth, providing Canadians with high-quality and well-paying jobs. Through projects like those announced today, Scale AI is playing a key role in supporting Canada's AI sector and enabling companies to be competitive on a global scale."
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation, affirms: "Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform how Québec businesses develop. We have the good fortune, in Québec, to be able to rely on a solid ecosystem made up of world renowned researchers in this key sector. This is why we will continue to support companies, such as Scale IA, to set up business here, companies that improve the cohesiveness and competitiveness of our champions in this field."
Julien Billot, CEO of SCALE AI, pointed out, "Some people thought that the pandemic would slow down AI projects and investments. After the first few weeks, to the contrary, there was a sense of urgency to act. Companies wanted to become more efficient quickly and to be able to emerge stronger from this crisis. By supporting strategic investments in their modernization, SCALE AI plays its role as a lever and accelerator to contribute to the success of companies from here—in AI and in all sectors."
Hélène Desmarais, Co-Chair of the SCALE AI Board of Directors, added, "Each cohort of projects reflects the organizations' needs in all sectors for concrete AI applications. The understanding of AI's capabilities to find solutions to concrete and specific supply chain issues has taken an incredible leap forward. This is encouraging, for companies that are accelerating the process of integrating AI to boost their productivity and competitiveness, but also for Canada's growing AI ecosystem as a whole. "
Five projects representing investments of $16.6 million
→ AI-powered pricing Partners: Couche-Tard, Thirdbridge, Ivado Labs SCALE AI's investment: $2.3 million Total investment: $5.7 million |
The project will aim to optimize pricing based on consumer demand and behaviour. The solution will also integrate the responses of competitors and market conditions. Alex Miller, Executive Vice President Commercial Optimization: "Analytical capability and speed of action are at the heart of our ability to meet consumer expectations to maintain our market position. Artificial intelligence enables us to improve our performance based on reliable data. It's a win-win situation for us, as well as for our customers."
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→ Improving the supply chain for truck maintenance Partners: Trimac Transportations, Preteckt, Université McGill SCALE AI's investment: $1.4 million Total investment: $5 million |
This project aims to design a suite of algorithms that can predict what would otherwise be unexpected truck breakdowns and their root causes. These algorithms will make use of data generated during normal truck operations, particularly related to the engine, brake and tire subsystems. Ken Trickey, Director of Innovation and Integration, Trimac Transportation: "Unexpected truck breakdowns have significant impacts on our operations and customer service. Beyond repair costs, managing transport reorganization and delays requires time and energy that bring no added value to our customers." Sasha Kucharczyk, COO and Co-Founder, Preteckt: "Preteckt is excited to develop new diagnostic tools which will enable more relevant and precise maintenance operations which will limit unexpected breakdowns and further improve the reliability of trucks while reducing operating costs."
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→ Extending an order's life cycle through AI Partners: Bell Business Market, Inmind Technologies, Maxa AI, MSI, Loblaws Group, Ausenco Engineering Canada SCALE AI's investment: $1.2 million Total investment: $2.4 million |
Bell Business Markets (BBM) offers a wide range of communications technologies for Canadian businesses, including broadband fibre connectivity. To meet market expectations, the project aims to reduce installation time for new fibre connections by accelerating several steps in the supply chain with artificial intelligence solutions. Ariel Quintin, VP, Sales & Service Transformation, BBM: "Bell is one of the largest investors in research and development in Canada and we are proud to partner with Scale AI to facilitate access to the best connectivity technologies for Canadian businesses. " Jérémie Farret, VP Advanced Analytics and AI at Inmind Technologies: "Inmind is pleased to put its expertise in AI and its hardware acceleration solution Mind in a Box™ to the benefit of this innovative collaborative project, which will be of great benefit to the Canadian economy. »
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→ Optimization of transportation assets Partners: Ray-Mont, Argus Transport SCALE AI's investment: $0.9 million Total investment: $1.8 million
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The Ares.AI project aims at developing a decision support system based on Artificial Intelligence for the optimization of Ray-Mont Logistics' transport assets. Transport assets include a fleet of trucks, drivers, chassis and rails. Road transportation planning will allow Ray-Mont and its partners, such as Argus Transport, to reduce expenses, eliminate bottlenecks, reduce empty runs and improve asset utilization. In terms of rail transportation, the project is expected to minimize switch changes, car movements and operational delays related to rail management at Ray-Mont terminals and at its railway partners. Luke Mireault, Vice-President and Chief Innovation Officer: "Ray-Mont has always believed in innovation and cutting-edge technologies to distinguish itself. It was natural for us to embark on artificial intelligence projects. We hope to leverage our data to develop solutions that will improve our efficiency and customer satisfaction."
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→ Demand forecasts for spare parts Partners: Bombardier, Traxxall SCALE AI's investment: $0.8 million Total investment: $1.7 million
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Research and development project partners are using AI models to better predict the demand for spare parts for aircraft maintenance. This will reduce the risk of supply shocks and will benefit suppliers and customers alike all along the supply chain. Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Services and Support and Corporate Strategy at Bombardier: "We want to improve the accuracy of our algorithms to work even more effectively and efficiently. This project fits well with our long-term vision of becoming a pillar of artificial intelligence in the aeronautics field." Scott Henderson, CEO, TRAXXALL: "Contributing our accurate and high-quality data on hundreds of Bombardier aircraft validates our vision. Our important contribution supports our partners in developing leading 'real world' AI applications."
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About SCALE AI (scaleai.ca)
As Canada's AI supercluster, SCALE AI acts as an investment and innovation hub that accelerates the rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and contributes to the development of a world-class Canadian AI ecosystem.
Based in Montreal, funded by the federal government and the Quebec government, SCALE AI has nearly 120 industry partners, research institutes and other players in the AI field. It develops programs aimed at supporting investment projects of companies that implement real-world applications in AI, the emergence of future Canadian flagships in the sector, as well as the development of a skilled workforce.
SOURCE Scale AI
Source: Isabelle Turcotte, CMO at SCALE AI; Contact: Justin Meloche, [email protected] | 514-995-9704
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