Bell and Simon Fraser University (SFU) announced Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on advancing Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) and sovereign supercomputing ecosystem.
Under the agreement, Bell and SFU will work to expand the Cedar Supercomputing Centre (CSC), home to Canada’s fastest and most powerful academic supercomputer, located at SFU’s campus in Burnaby, B.C. The CSC specializes in handling secure and sensitive data, “making it a critical resource for Canadian researchers, industry, and government working on cutting-edge AI applications,” says a Bell press release.
Through the planned expansion of the CSC, Bell and SFU aim to “provide Canadian researchers and industry users with the computational resources they need to make groundbreaking discoveries and develop innovative solutions to pressing challenges,” the release adds.
As part of the collaboration, the CSC will be connected to the future Bell AI Fabric site at Thompson Rivers University, providing “scalable support for industry and researchers that fosters a vibrant and competitive innovation ecosystem to retain talent and attract investment to Canada,” according to the press release.
Bell and SFU said the agreement will bolster Canada’s sovereign AI infrastructure and promote the development of clean and sustainable data centre technologies.
“By investing in Canada’s sovereign AI ecosystem, Bell and SFU will further contribute to Canada’s economic resilience and national security by ensuring that Canadian organizations have access to secure, reliable and locally controlled AI resources,” Bell’s press release says.
“Bell is excited to collaborate with SFU, a leader in AI research and innovation. Together, we are investing in the computing power and future talent necessary to foster a vibrant AI ecosystem,” Dan Rink, Bell AI Fabric president, said in the release. “Bringing industry and academia together to tackle some of Canada’s most pressing challenges is a critical element if Canada is to compete and win in the AI economy. Through this agreement, we will accelerate the development of innovative AI solutions that drive economic growth and improve the lives of Canadians.”
“The SFU-Bell collaboration will empower Canadian industry and researchers to drive groundbreaking innovation, while delivering a workforce with the skills and expertise to position Canada as a global AI leader,” said Dugan O’Neil, SFU’s vice president of research and innovation. “Together, we are building a vibrant AI ecosystem that will deliver significant benefits to all Canadians.”
Photo of the Water Tower building containing the Cedar Supercomputing Centre at Simon Fraser University, courtesy of Bell
