Artificial Intelligence: Québec City at the Heart of the Action
From medical technology to self-driving cars, urban technology and much more, applications are very diverse in the wide world of artificial intelligence (AI).
The province of Quebec and Canada are global leaders in AI. The Québec City region also contributes to this positioning through its expertise in fundamental and applied research as well as its industrial expertise. Indeed, Québec City stands out thanks to its capabilities in capturing and analyzing physical-world data for applications in diverse environments and disciplines, backed by strong fundamental research.
Discover how Québec City has all the ingredients of a winning recipe.
Québec City’s Artificial Intelligence on Video
The Québec City region is host to many innovative businesses in AI, and for good reason. In this video, two world leaders share their innovations and their reasoning that led them to choose Québec City as a starting point to conquer the world:
- Chris Coetzee, Technology Leader, Industry 4.0, OPTEL Group
- Frantz Saintellemy, President and CEO, LeddarTech
A Portrait of Québec City's Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem
With a wide variety of areas of application, a high level of collaboration from partners, and an impressive theoretical and applied research force, Québec City's artificial intelligence ecosystem has everything it takes to succeed and stand out!
This is one of the main findings of the Portrait of the Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem of the Greater Québec City Region 2021, produced by Université Laval and Québec International. In this report, discover, in greater depth, how Québec City is mobilizing around artificial intelligence.
Diverse Expertise and Major Players: Look No Further!
Nearly 100 businesses—including over 25 international players—develop or use AI technology solutions in their daily operations. Some find new opportunities for this technology, while others apply it to various sectors. Below is a sample of Québec City’s stakeholders in AI.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
ADNIA, Baseline, Bases.AI, BI Expertise, CGI, Compugen, Cortex, DataDis, 'E' Machine Learning, Effenti, Fujitsu, Hectiq.AI, INGENO, LGS, LTI, Microsoft, Neuraxio, NOVIPRO, Pipemind, SimplyPhi Solutions, SmartyfAI, STATLOG, Videns, Vooban
INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
Beneva, Desjardins, Equisoft, iA Groupe financier, Intact
ENTERTAINMENT
ALTKEY, Beenox, Bkom Studios, Exobyte, Frima, Konek.ai, Lü, Noctura, OVA, Ubisoft Québec, Vaolo
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
ACCEO, Actito, Alfred, Botpress, Brizo Data, Constellio, Coveo, Crakmedia, Dialog Insight, Gartner, GDG Informatique et gestion, Korem, La Cité LP, Meta, Micro Logic, Mirego, Momentum Technologies, Nexio, NOOS Technologies, Oracle, OSF Global Services, Rakuten Ready, Rhetorik, SAS, SYNTELL, Tracefood, UEAT
MANUFACTURING
ABB Canada, APN Global, Creaform, Eddify, EXFO, Genius Solutions, ITDM Group, Ondia, Robotiq, Tack Verification, Tetra Tech, Thales, XpertSea
HEALTH SERVICES
Apox, BioTwin, Emergensys, Gydle, Icentia, Logibec, MUUTAA, OPTEL, PetalMD, Prehos, TELUS Santé, Zilia
SECURITY
A-malgam Technologies, ACCI, EVA-Technologies, Fortica, Infodev Electronic Designers International Inc., mondata, NSim Technologie, Optosecurity (Vandermande)
SMART CITY
AITera, Alizem, Amotus, BEAP, Bentley Systems, Blackware Technologies, Can-Explore, Ciena, Dimonoff, Esri Canada, Geolearn, Geosapiens, LeddarTech, Lumca, Nemesis Intelligence, Nyx Hemera Technologies, Pavemetrics, Siemens Canada, Systèmes VIREO, Ver-Mac, Waste Robotics
Recent Investments in the Region
Over the past few years, local businesses and educational and research institutions have managed to realize their ambitions by securing adequate funding to support their growth.
Here are a few examples of recent investments that contribute Québec City’s reputation in the field of artificial intelligence.
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Université Laval — Creation of the Intelligence and Data Institute
Public funding: $3 million
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Coveo - 4 organizations support the growth of the AI solutions provider
Private investment: $227 million
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LeddarTech — Development and commercialization of motor vehicle solutions
Private investment: $130 million (2017) — Fundraising round: $31.4 million (2019)
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SCALE AI — A Canadian supercluster focusing on supply chains 4.0, co-managed by OPTEL Group
Federal public investment: $230 million
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XpertSea — Series A financing to revolutionize aquaculture
Private investment: $10 million
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OPTEL Group — Expansion project
Private investment: $69 million
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Université Laval — Construction of a big data centre
Public funding: $21.5 million under the federal Strategic Investment Fund
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Bentley Systems — AIworx acquisition in 2018 to set up an R&D centre in Québec City
Undisclosed value
World-Renowned Research Centres
Québec City shines by its capacity to integrate AI into a wide range of environments, thanks to its numerous specialized researchers. In this regard, Université Laval acts as a key stakeholder, while local entrepreneurs find innovative ways to apply new breakthroughs in diverse fields.
Here are some of the local organizations that carry out fundamental and applied research:
- Intelligence and Data Institute (IID)
- Big Data Research Centre (CRDM)
- Geospatial Data and Intelligence Research Centre (CRDIG)
- Centre de recherche en robotique, vision et intelligence machine (CeRVIM)
- Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d'entreprise, la logistique et le transport (CIRRELT)
- Group for Research in Artificial Intelligence of Laval University (GRAIL)
- Centre for Studying Distributed Intelligent Shared Environment (REPARTI)
- International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies (OBVIA)
- Educational Leadership Chair (ELC) in Big Data Analysis for Actuarial Science—Intact
- The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)/Intact Financial Corporation Industrial Research Chair in Machine Learning for Insurance
To learn more about research in AI, visit the dedicated web page.
Training in Artificial Intelligence
UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
In addition to making a major contribution to research in AI, Université Laval offers several training programs in this field to help shape the future generation, a generation apt to innovate and face the challenges of this fast-growing sector. Two master’s programs are focused especially on skill development for designing, developing, implementing and managing solutions that use artificial intelligence techniques:
- Professional master’s degree in computer science—Artificial intelligence
- Professional master’s degree in urban intelligence (focused on skills and real-world projects in urban intelligence)
CÉGEP DE SAINTE-FOY
Through continuing education, Cégep de Sainte-Foy offers several ways to develop and improve one’s knowledge in big data, business intelligence and artificial intelligence. Here are some of the programs:
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