SCALE.AI Invests $32 Million in 14 AI Projects
With the IDC Spending Guide predicting that worldwide spending on AI (Artificial Intelligence) will reach nearly $98 billion by 2023 and the Gartner 2019 CIO Survey stating that 37% of businesses have already implemented some form of AI into their organization (a 270% increase in comparison to 2015), it’s undeniable that AI integration into products or services will become the norm.
In order to help Canadian businesses adopt AI into their product or service offerings, the Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI (SCALE.AI) supercluster was created by the Canadian government as a way to connect researchers and industries, as well as establish Canada as an AI development hub.
SCALE.AI was awarded a total of $263.4 million ($230 million from the federal government and an additional $23.4 million from the Quebec government) as part of the Canadian government’s innovation superclusters initiative. SCALE.AI recently announced that they have invested $32 million in 14 different AI-related projects.
AI is Making Improvements to the Supply Chain
Local Line: The Kitchener-based food logistics company aims to reduce the transportation costs for farmers by utilizing AI-informed algorithms that forecast shipping dates well into the future, giving farmers improved planning and efficiency.
Ray-Mont Logistics: The Montreal-based logistical services company facilitates international trade and is currently working on a project that utilizes AI to increase efficiency when using shipping containers.
“We have the ambition, the expertise and the creativity to build on this momentum by continuing to offer flexible, innovative and high-quality solutions to our customers and partners.”
– Charles Raymond, president and CEO of Ray-Mont Logistics International
Coveo: With their headquarters located in Quebec City, the 500+ employee business is leading a project on cognitive supply chains. The firm received $2.8 million from SCALE.AI and $10.8 million in overall funding towards this project.
Stream Systems: Located in Calgary and Montreal, the company aims to optimize industrial assets using simulations without the use of code. They describe their product as having a system-level approach to assets and supply chain in the cloud.
AI is Changing the Way We Travel
Air Canada: Received $12 million from SCALE.AI for two projects. The first uses machine learning in order to optimize value chain and revenue management. The second project is using AI to optimize cargo operations. These projects have received $31.1 million in overall funding.
“Big data and AI are now a big part of our business. One example is predictive maintenance from our modern aircraft, like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In addition to our normally scheduled checks, we can now predict maintenance of components not yet broken, to repair when the aircraft is less active.”
– Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO of Air Canada
AI is Being Used in Retail Stores
Rubikloud: The Toronto-based startup developed AI software for enterprise retailers. By leveraging retail-specific ML models, the AI forecasts the performance of promotions, improving promotion planning for retailers and optimizing their everyday prices and assortments.
“We’re on track to continue growing revenue and customers by over 100 percent year-over-year.”
– Kerry Liu, CEO of Rubikloud
Ravel by CF: The shopping center giant known as Cadillac Fairview started Ravel by CF to help the retail industry adapt to consumers’ needs by offering personalized shopping assistance, upgraded wayfinding, and exclusive brand deals for VIP shoppers. This project received $4.8 million in funding from SCALE.AI and $13 million overall.
Using AI to Push Technology Further
OVA: This Quebec City-based tech startup creates immersive virtual, augmented, and mixed realities. The company is creating environments for professional use in the automotive, engineering, and health sectors. The environments created would allow engineers to assess risks, automotive companies to give practical training, and hospitals to create soothing surroundings for patients.
Plotly: This startup has created an open-source graphing-focused program called Dash which lets its users build feature-rich analytic applications with reduced amounts of code.
AI is Changing the Future of Home Care
AlayaCare: The Toronto-based company has created a cloud-based home health care software that seeks to simplify documentation and client care for retirement homes.
“This acquisition enables us to offer an unrivalled solution set to organizations of all sizes around the world, strengthening our vision of becoming the world’s most trusted home and community care technology provider.”
– Adrian Schauer, founder and CEO of AlayaCare
About Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI (SCALE.AI)
Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI (SCALE.AI) is a supercluster created under the Innovation Supercluster Initiative as a Canadian government funding program to help boost the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Canadian businesses. The superclusters that were formed under the Innovation Supercluster Initiative are as follows:
- Quebec: Supply Chains and Logistics Excellence AI (SCALE.AI)
- British Columbia: Digital Technology Supercluster
- Ontario: Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster
- Atlantic Canada: Ocean Supercluster
- Prairie Provinces: Protein Industries Supercluster
SCALE.AI provides up to 40% of eligible costs towards projects that can accelerate the adoption and commercialization of AI in Canadian businesses.
The SCALE.AI program is currently open and accepting new applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
Learn more about the right time to apply for government funding in order to set your business up for success. You can download our free slide deck to help you identify funding opportunities, align your projects with funding opportunities, and learn what types of government grants and loans are available.
