SFU has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with three strategic partners to build on the industry-leading efficiency and sustainability of the Cedar Supercomputing Centre at its Burnaby campus, which houses Fir, the fastest and most powerful academic supercomputer system in Canada.
The Cedar Supercomputing Centre empowers Canadian companies and public institutions to harness world-class artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, while safeguarding Canadian sovereignty, security and sustainability. AI is a research priority for SFU, and the university ranks in Canada's top five for AI (AI Rankings, 2025), with more than 100 researchers focused on AI solutions.
The agreements formalize collaborations with industry-leading partners, targeting specialist needs:
- Cerio designs systems for more sustainable data centres;
- Corix is a leading developer, owner, and operator of district energy systems; and
- Moment Energy, a leader in energy storage, providing backup energy systems using repurposed electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Each partnership will further boost the sustainability credentials of the Cedar Supercomputing Centre (CSC), which is powered by clean hydroelectric energy and already boasts an industry-leading power usage effectiveness of 1.07.
"These new agreements will help us take the Cedar Supercomputing Centre to new heights of efficiency and performance, as we continue to support research and innovation across Canada with our secure, high-performance data centre infrastructure hosted right here at SFU," says Dugan O'Neil, Vice-President, Research and Innovation.
"They also reflect our commitment to building partnerships with Canadian companies that are advancing technology and sustainability and investing in our national economy."
About Cerio
Cerio is an Ontario-based company specialized in developing more sustainable data centre infrastructure. Their innovations in composable disaggregated infrastructure (CDI) enable data centre operators to optimize graphics processing unit (GPU) resource allocation to improve efficiency and reduce power use, while their advanced optical interconnect technology also delivers high-speed connectivity with lower power consumption. The MOU with Cerio formalizes plans to collaborate on expanding the Cedar Supercomputing Centre using Cerio's products, to further develop SFU's AI infrastructure, research and training.
"We're excited to partner with SFU to bring our sustainable infrastructure solutions to one of Canada's most advanced academic computing facilities," says Phil Harris, CEO of Cerio.
"At Cerio, we believe that the future of AI and high-performance computing must be built on a foundation of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. Our composable disaggregated infrastructure and optical interconnect technologies are designed specifically to help organizations like SFU maximize their computing power while minimizing their environmental footprint. This collaboration with the Cedar Supercomputing Centre will not only support groundbreaking AI research but also demonstrate how Canadian innovation can lead the way in sustainable data center operations."
About Corix
Since 2012, Corix has operated a district energy system on Burnaby Mountain, first serving the UniverCity community and later expanding to SFU campus buildings. Corix and SFU formalized the Burnaby Mountain District Energy Utility project in 2016, culminating in the construction of a $33-million biomass-based Renewable Energy Centre in 2020. The project has since delivered an 85-per-cent reduction in annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The latest MOU with Corix will explore opportunities to capture and reuse excess waste heat from the Cedar Supercomputing Centre for use within the existing neighbourhood energy system that provides heating and hot water across Burnaby Mountain. The initiative aims to demonstrate the viability of data centers as a source of low-carbon heating source amid accelerating data center growth, constraints to the electrical grid, and the growing importance of securing social license for large energy users.
"This MOU builds on our longstanding partnership with SFU and our shared commitment to a more sustainable future," says Diego Mandelbaum, Chief Development Officer at Corix.
"By harnessing data centre waste heat and putting it to productive use, we are exploring the synergy between data centres and district energy, reducing emissions, easing grid constraints, and delivering lasting value to the Burnaby Mountain community."
About Moment Energy
Moment Energy is North America's leading large-format battery repurposing company, powering commercial and industrial operations with high-performance battery energy storage systems (BESS). By working with industry partners and major automotive companies, Moment Energy's technology reduces energy costs, supports grid resilience, and keeps batteries out of landfills. Moment Energy is rapidly scaling to provide worldwide access to affordable, reliable, and clean power.
The company was founded in 2019 by four SFU alumni from the Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) program, and the agreement with SFU is a first step toward Moment Energy installing a reliable backup power system, as well as exploring other clean energy solutions and energy storage projects at the university.
"Moment Energy is proud to partner with SFU, a leader in research and sustainability, to explore how our Canadian-made energy storage solutions can help power the next generation of data infrastructure like the Cedar supercomputer," says Gurmesh Sidhu, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Moment Energy. "Together, we aim to advance the clean energy transition, promote local innovation, and enhance energy security for Canada's high-performance computing needs."
