Projects aim to improve efficiencies in consumer goods, farming, telecom and shipping sectors
MONTRÉAL, June 27, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to growing the economy, creating good jobs and keeping Canada competitive. That is why the Government has brought together small, medium-sized and large companies, academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations to develop major engines of innovation, growth and job creation under the ambitious Innovation Superclusters Initiative.
Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced that the SCALE.AI Supercluster, based in Montréal, passed a major milestone with the selection of its first set of projects. Each of these initiatives will see companies explore ways AI can be used to reduce costs and improve efficiencies across the board in the consumer goods, farming, telecom and shipping sectors.
Minister Bains made the announcement at Ray-Mont Logistics, a Montréal-based logistics services company facilitating international trade by enhancing the container supply chain. It is leading a project that aims to make the use of shipping containers more efficient.
Other approved projects will see more than 20 large and small firms, along with research partners, develop ways to improve their logistics and save costs. Canadians will reap tangible benefits from these projects. For example, a project led by Local Line, a Canadian online food wholesale and logistics company, is expected to significantly reduce transportation costs for farmers by using AI-informed algorithms to forecast shipping dates well into the future, enabling better planning and greater efficiency.
The Innovation Superclusters Initiative, part of the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, takes a new approach to accelerating economic growth by creating hubs of global competitive advantage. This long-term program is making investments in five major hubs across the country, which are expected to create 50,000 jobs and contribute $50 billion to Canada's GDP over the next 10 years.
Quotes
"SCALE.AI is just getting started transforming the AI sector, creating good jobs here at home and establishing Canada as a global leader in AI. These projects will capitalize on this leadership to produce tangible benefits for other sectors of the economy. These projects are part of a game-changing initiative that will dramatically reduce industry costs on a range of services, including shipping and inventory."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"With these selected projects, SCALE.AI is entering its operational phase. Since the official launch of our activities a few weeks ago, we have received a significant number of project submissions and are working with our various partners to select other projects very soon. I encourage all companies interested in integrating AI into their supply chain to continue to contact our teams to present us with their project proposal."
– Julien Billot, CEO, SCALE.AI Supercluster
"In a context of globalization, the development of international trade inevitably involves the optimization of our supply chain. At Ray-Mont Logistics, it is this tireless will to always innovate and to include artificial intelligence in our processes that allows us today to be a world expert in this field. As a founding member of SCALE.AI, we are proud to see that our smart terminal project is part of this shared vision of propelling the supply chain to another level. We have the ambition, the expertise and the creativity to build on this momentum by continuing to offer flexible, innovative and high-quality solutions to our customers and partners."
– Charles Raymond, President and CEO, Ray-Mont Logistics International
Quick facts
- A Government of Canada investment of up to $2 million in these first projects has helped leverage up to $3.1 million in contributions from industry and other partners.
- Under an agreement signed with the Supercluster last December, the Government of Canada is investing up to nearly $230 million in SCALE.AI, matched dollar for dollar by the private sector.
- The Supercluster is building intelligent supply chains through AI and robotics and helping Canadian SMEs scale up to make Canada a globally competitive export leader.
- Under a recently signed Canada-European Union arrangement to facilitate trans-Atlantic cluster collaboration, Canada's five superclusters will have opportunities to form strategic business partnerships and linkages with cluster organizations and firms in the EU.
- The SCALE.AI Supercluster is expected to create more than 16,000 jobs and add more than $16.5 billion to Canada's economy over 10 years.
Associated links
- Innovation Superclusters Initiative
- SCALE.AI Supercluster
- Canada and EU collaborate on superclusters
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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Dani Keenan, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected], 343-291-1777
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