Canada AI Innovation

Canada's AI Leadership

Driving Global Innovation Through Research, Collaboration, and Strategic Partnerships

$2.4B AI Investment
3 National AI Institutes
45+ New AI R&D Labs

Canada's AI Ecosystem

A comprehensive overview of Canada's position as a global leader in artificial intelligence research and innovation

Academic Excellence

Leading universities driving cutting-edge AI research across machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks

  • University of Toronto - Deep Learning Pioneer
  • University of Alberta - Reinforcement Learning Leader
  • McGill University - NLP & Climate AI
  • University of Waterloo - Industry Connections

National Institutes

Three world-class AI institutes forming the backbone of Canada's research infrastructure

  • Amii (Edmonton) - Reinforcement Learning
  • Mila (Montreal) - Machine Learning & Deep Learning
  • Vector Institute (Toronto) - AI Applications

Strategic Investment

Sustained government commitment through the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy

  • Phase I (2017-2022): $125M Investment
  • Phase II (2021-2031): $443.8M Commitment
  • Budget 2024: $2.4B Proposed Investment

Leading Universities in AI Research

Canadian universities at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation

University of Toronto

Toronto, ON
Deep Learning Computer Science AI Ethics

Home to Geoffrey Hinton, the "godfather of deep learning," and the Vector Institute. Leading research in fundamental computer science and AI applications.

Vector Institute Partner
Research Areas

University of Alberta

Edmonton, AB
Reinforcement Learning Machine Learning Robotics

#1 in Canada and 2nd in North America for AI research. $100M in AI funding since 2017 and hosts 24 Canada CIFAR AI Chairs.

$100M AI Funding
24 CIFAR Chairs
AI Research

McGill University

Montreal, QC
Deep Learning NLP Climate AI

Key partner with Mila, specializing in natural language processing and climate AI applications. Strong industry partnerships.

Mila Partner
AI Research

University of Waterloo

Waterloo, ON
Machine Learning Computer Vision Industry Connections

#1 in Canada for program reputation. Largest concentration of computer science researchers, with strong industry placement.

#1 CS Reputation
AI Group

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, BC
Machine Learning Robotics AI & Health

Top 3 in Canada for computer science research. New AI and Health Network deploying powerful AI tools for health innovation.

Top 3 CS Research
Research Areas

Other Leading Institutions

Across Canada
Diverse Specializations Regional Hubs

Simon Fraser, Queen's, Carleton, Western, York, and Concordia universities contribute to Canada's distributed AI research network.

75+ Faculty at Concordia

National AI Institutes

Three world-leading institutes driving Canada's AI research and innovation

Amii

Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

Edmonton, Alberta

Global Leader in Reinforcement Learning

Conducting cutting-edge research and fostering business collaborations to develop innovative solutions for complex problems.

Google AI Opportunity Fund Partner
Business Collaboration Focus
Foundational AI Skills Training
Visit Amii

Mila

Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms

Montreal, Quebec

Machine Learning & Deep Learning Excellence

Vibrant community of 1,200+ researchers advancing AI research and education with a focus on socially responsible AI.

1,200+ Researchers
Yoshua Bengio - Turing Award Winner
AI for Climate Studio
Visit Mila

Vector Institute

Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Toronto, Ontario

AI Applications in Critical Areas

Independent research corporation pushing boundaries in machine learning with applications in privacy, security, and healthcare.

Privacy & Security Focus
Healthcare Applications
Geoffrey Hinton - Chief Scientific Advisor
Visit Vector

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy

A pioneering initiative coordinated by CIFAR to solidify Canada's position as a global AI leader

Phase I (2017-2022)

$125 Million
  • Established national AI institutes
  • Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program
  • Attracted top AI researchers
  • Built research infrastructure

Phase II (2021-2031)

$443.8 Million
  • AI adoption across economy
  • Made-in-Canada AI solutions
  • AI standards development
  • Advanced computing resources

Budget 2024 Proposal

$2.4 Billion
  • AI Compute Access Fund ($2B)
  • Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy
  • Computational infrastructure focus
  • Global competitiveness maintenance

Strategy Impact

1,200+ Graduate Students & Postdocs Trained
45+ New AI R&D Labs by Multinationals
3 World-Class AI Institutes

Canada-UK Partnership

Strengthening economic growth and enhancing collective security through AI collaboration

Joint Statement - June 15, 2025
Canada-UK Partnership

Prime Minister Mark Carney

Canada

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer

United Kingdom

Growth and Innovation Partnership

Trade

New UK-Canada Economic and Trade Working Group to deepen trading relationships and explore cooperation in critical minerals and sovereign AI infrastructure.

Semiconductors

Industrial R&D projects to enhance complementary strengths in semiconductors, photonics, and chip design for resilient supply chains.

Quantum

Joint commitment to develop secure, transatlantic quantum communications connecting national systems for global next-generation networks.

Artificial Intelligence

Partnership between Canadian and UK AI Safety Institutes, plus new MOUs with Cohere for cutting-edge data centres and AI security collaboration.

Biomanufacturing

Joint investment of $14.8 million to support biomanufacturing R&D, growing talent pipeline and helping businesses scale.

Civil Nuclear

World-leading fusion energy collaboration and deeper cooperation on nuclear energy to reduce Russian influence on fuel supply chains.

Enhanced Defence and Security Partnership

Ukraine Support

Continued support for Ukraine's self-defence, including Coalition of the Willing and Air Force Capability Coalition for cutting-edge aircraft weaponry technology.

Military Cooperation

BATUS Future Project for long-term use of British Army Training Unit Suffield, showcasing CFB Suffield as a multi-purpose facility for equipment development.

Intelligence

Coordinated operational campaigns against terrorism and violent extremism, with enhanced intelligence collection and expanded officer exchange programs.

National Security

Joint Canada-UK Common Good Cyber Fund ($5.7M seed funding) to support civil society organizations countering digital transnational repression.