Simon Fraser University has signed a new agreement to partner with Bell, Canada's largest communications company, to significantly advance Canada's artificial intelligence (AI) and sovereign computing ecosystem.
The partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), formalizing the collaboration, which includes connecting the Cedar Supercomputing Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia with the the future Bell AI Fabric site at TRU, promoting the development of clean and sustainable data centre technologies, and investing in Canada's AI talent pipeline.
Under the agreement, SFU and Bell will work to expand the Cedar Supercomputing Centre (CSC). Home to Canada's fastest and most powerful academic supercomputer and located at SFU's Burnaby campus, the CSC provides Canadian researchers and industry users with the high-performance computing resources they need to make new discoveries across a wide range of fields.
Importantly, this infrastructure is fully under Canadian control by a leading Canadian public institution and top Canadian company giving users confidence that their data is safe.
"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," says Dugan O'Neil, SFU's Vice-President, Research and Innovation.
"Together, we are building a vibrant AI ecosystem that will deliver significant benefits to all Canadians."
SFU recently completed significant upgrades to the Cedar Supercomputing Centre, which now houses Canada's most powerful academic supercomputer the only Canadian system in the top 100 globally.
The collaboration will allow SFU and Bell to scale up Canada's sovereign compute and AI capacity efficiently, taking advantage of the availability of greater space, hydro-electric power and industry talent to deliver economic impact across B.C.
"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," says Dan Rink, President, Bell AI Fabric.
"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."
