SaskTel and Deloitte Canada announced Tuesday a strategic alliance to expand artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in Saskatchewan and across Canada.
Their partnership is focused on developing and launching service capabilities and facilities, including an AI factory, designed to advance Canada’s sovereign AI strategy and unlock the potential of “AI economic zones”, which they describe as designated centres offering accelerated computing and sector-specific AI solutions.
“The AI factory will deliver innovative, cost-effective AI solutions tailored to high-value sectors — including healthcare, mining, and agriculture — crucial to Saskatchewan, Canada and international markets, driving productivity and global competitiveness,” said a joint press release.
This alliance brings together Deloitte’s leadership in AI strategy, sector knowledge and real-world business insights combined with SaskTel’s robust network infrastructure and advanced connectivity, including 5G, fibre and IoT capabilities, and its Tier III data centres, the release said.
Using SaskTel’s existing data centre assets, the joint venture will expand Canada’s AI compute capacity and support the co-development of Canadian-owned intellectual property, according to the release. “Further, through this alliance, SaskTel and Deloitte will establish a dedicated Applied AI lab in Saskatchewan, focused on ongoing R&D and innovation. The Applied AI lab will collaborate with academic institutions to develop sector-specific AI solutions and foster an inclusive, innovation-driven ecosystem,” the release said.
“SaskTel is committed to driving technological advancement and fostering innovation within our province,” said Charlene Gavel, SaskTel president and CEO, in the release. “Saskatchewan is poised to lead in AI innovation and by joining forces with a technology leader like Deloitte, we are not only investing in technology, but in the future prosperity of Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole.”
“Canada is at a critical turning point in the global AI race, where the imperative to turn ambition into impact has never been greater,” said Jas Jaaj, global AI markets, ecosystems and alliances leader and managing partner of AI for Deloitte Canada. “This alliance between SaskTel and Deloitte is a tangible manifestation of the Canadian AI economic zone vision, where we’re moving beyond innovation and into deployment that delivers for Canadian industries and communities in a responsible and sustainable way.”
