15 Feb 2018

SCALE.AI, supported by IVADO, selected by the Government of Canada as one of the five innovation superclusters

Ottawa, February 15, 2018 – Today, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, announced that the SCALE.AI supercluster in artificial intelligence-powered supply chains was among the five superclusters selected as part of the federal government’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative, which has pledged $950 million over five years to support the five innovation superclusters with the highest potential to develop world-class innovation ecosystems.

The Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO), the principal academic signatory of SCALE.AI, welcomes the announcement and the role it will play within the industry-led consortium on intelligent supply chains.

“Supply chains are the critical link in our economy. They impact every activity sector and represent nearly one million jobs. Driven by AI, they will help accelerate the development of transformative technologies and give impetus to Canada’s economic future,” affirmed Gilles Savard, CEO of IVADO. “SCALE.AI is an ambitious innovation project that brings together research and industry and ties directly into the vision that drives IVADO.”

Along with IVADO, which will provide its artificial intelligence research capacity, the University of Waterloo and ten other internationally recognized research institutes will join the consortium, which has already mobilized over 100 industrial partners that have committed $700 million to this unprecedented initiative. The additional funding from the federal government will enable SCALE.AI to start its operations and catalyze innovation in Canada’s manufacturing, infrastructure and retail sectors.

Co-chaired by Louis Roy, president of OPTEL and Hélène Desmarais, chair of the board of directors and CEO of the Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal and chair of the board of directors of HEC Montréal, SCALE.AI will be based in Montréal and primarily focus on Québec and Ontario with a Canada-wide impact on the entire industry. Go to SCALE.AI for more information.

About IVADO

Founded by the Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, IVADO aims to bring together industry professionals and academic researchers to develop cutting-edge expertise in data science, operational research and artificial intelligence. In essence, IVADO creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaborations between the specialists, partners, researchers, and students in its network. The objective of IVADO is to be the link between academic expertise and the business needs of organizations, from multinational corporations to start-ups. With over 1000 affiliated scientists (researchers, post-docs, PhD candidates, and research associates), IVADO is an advanced multidisciplinary centre for knowledge in sectors including statistics, business intelligence, deep learning, applied mathematics, data mining, and cybersecurity.

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Contact for interviews :
Sandra Estrela
Member Services Coordinator
IVADO
sandra.estrela@ivado.ca
cell. : 438-824-7244