Digital leads investment of $159 million into AI-enabled tech

Digital — Canada’s Vancouver-based global innovation cluster for digital technologies — is betting big on artificial intelligence.

The organization — which brings together businesses, academia, and government agencies, and was formerly known as the Digital Supercluster — today announced co-investments of more than $53 million towards 11 consortiums creating AI solutions. These investments are set to leverage an additional $106 million through partner contributions.

The projects span the health, mining, education, agriculture, education, security, human resources, and ocean sectors. Digital says that the diversity of these investments proves how the organization and its partners are making an impact in developing Canadian-made artificial intelligence, and driving meaningful change.

“AI is a cornerstone of improved productivity, service delivery, and economic success for  companies and citizens,” said Sue Paish, CEO of Digital, in a press release. “By uniting industry leaders, innovators, and academic partners — and focusing on commercialization, talent development, and AI adoption frameworks — we’re solving today’s challenges and building the environment to accelerate the breakthrough innovation that keeps Canada at the cutting edge of global AI innovation. The benefits of AI development and commercialization will  support [the] lives of Canadians and communities across the country.”

Three of the consortiums are led by Vancouver-based companies:

Satisfai Health’s project is developing AI-driven software for automated measurements of  intestine ultrasounds. This provides a less invasive and expensive solution than colonoscopies and other traditional radiological imaging when monitoring and treating inflammatory bowel disease: a condition which currently impacts over 320,000 Canadians.

Medtronic Canada is also focusing on healthcare, and is integrating multiple AI-driven technologies to prevent and manage pressure injuries, also known as bedsores, which currently affect over a quarter of patients across Canada. Pressure injuries degrade the quality of life for those already experiencing severe illness or debility.

Ideon Technologies is leading a collective to deliver AI-powered subsurface imaging and intelligence for the mining industry. Its tech will reduce time-to-market, cost, risk and environmental impact, while allowing sustainable mining of the critical metals needed to fuel the transition to clean energy.

The remaining eight are led by companies headquartered outside of the lower mainland: 

Agi3’s consortium is leveraging AI to generate hyper-individualized insights and risk profiles for a variety of purposes in agriculture, such as crop insurance, finance, and sustainability. Farmers can make better decisions as a result, which Digital says will support areas such as global food security, decreasing the total land under crop, and protecting against rapidly changing climates. 

Impro.AI is leading a consortium to scale AI-driven tech to guide corporate performance strategists on how to improve employee productivity, to help organizational growth.

Calabrio Canada is helping develop an AI-driven platform to manage both virtual and human agents for telemedicine and patient contact centers. This will enable more positive patient experiences, and help address Canada’s increasing care-worker shortage.

SeafarerAI leads the only consortium to focus on oceantech, and is building an AI-powered architecture for real-time monitoring of underwater noise, which has doubled in intensity within the north Pacific Ocean over the past 60 years, threatening marine mammals and endangered species. 

Fluid AI is developing an AI-powered patient-management platform that accurately assesses the risk of postoperative complications, such as anastomotic leaks and respiratory depression following general and gastrointestinal surgeries. These insights will be used to help surgeons in making quicker and more informed decisions about patient care.

Goosechase leads a consortium developing an AI agent to help teachers create high-quality, tailored interactive learning experiences. 

Agnico Eagle Mines heads a group introducing geotechnical and geometallurgical tests. These use AI combined with automated drill core scanners to create better 3D block models of ore deposits. The results are particularly applicable to mining gold and the critical minerals required in green and digital technologies.

Finally, Expeflow’s consortium is developing AI agents to work alongside mental health professionals, automating administrative tasks, protecting patient data, and freeing up valuable time.

This AI funding directly from Digital marks nearly an eighth of its total investment amount since the organization was launched in 2018. Its current investments total over $200 million, which it says has spurred more than $300 million of new funding from private industry and other partners. The organization suggests that over 220 AI-related products and services have been developed thanks to that combined investment, with 130 already in the market.

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