Mila, 5C, and Hypertec have announced a strategic partnership to establish a Sovereign AI Research Hub at Hypertec's global headquarters and technology campus in LaSalle, Montréal.
With CAD $250 million invested in developing the project, the new campus will provide a space for technological adoption among Canadian researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs by offering secure access to advanced computing capacity, showcasing AI research initiatives, and supporting improvements in sustainable infrastructure design.
The Sovereign AI Research Hub will feature up to 3 megawatts of AI infrastructure, equipped with the latest generation of GPUs from manufacturers such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, in addition to other hardware accelerators. The facility will operate within strict regulatory and security standards to underpin both its research activities and its commitment to data sovereignty and security.
Plans for the LaSalle campus include more than 50 new high-skill positions in a range of sectors, including academia, healthcare, finance, natural resources, and defence. The operation will strengthen partnerships across industry, government, and academia and is positioned to reinforce Montréal's standing as a centre for artificial intelligence.
Energy efficiency is at the forefront of the new facility's technical design, integrating direct-to-chip, immersion cooling, and applied heat recovery technologies. These measures are projected to reduce energy consumption and costs by up to 50%.
"For researchers and startups that are constantly pushing the boundaries of AI, access to state-of-the-art computing infrastructure is an absolute necessity," said Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila. This partnership creates a unique opportunity to leverage Mila's expertise and creativity to help solve one of today's most pressing challenges. Developing state-of-the-art compute with less energy and more intelligence is the way forward to scale Canada's global impact."
Among the research initiatives at the LaSalle campus, laboratory testing will include immersion cooling for PCIe systems, assessments of new GPUs, and hardware acceleration for AI training, inference, and fine-tuning. The facility aims to maximise performance per dollar and contribute to pragmatic, efficient AI solutions.
The collaboration seeks to provide consistent top-tier compute capacity and maintain operational continuity, regardless of developments in software platforms or shifts in industry trends. The ambition is to deliver an optimised AI infrastructure that is sovereign, scalable, and adaptable, presenting the Canadian approach as a model for the continued development of AI infrastructure internationally.
Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, added, "Today, Montreal once again demonstrates its role as a global leader in artificial intelligence. With Hypertec's $250 million investment and the new Sovereign AI Research Hub with Mila and 5C, this initiative is advancing Canada's digital sovereignty and strengthening the backbone of our AI economy-keeping Canadian data secure, powering our researchers and entrepreneurs, and ensuring our innovations are built here, for Canadians and for the world."
Image courtesy of ALL IN.
