Superclusters: Canada’s $950-million commitment

By Sean Mullin and Jamison Steeve

With the launch of the Vector Institute at the end of March, Canada is claiming its place in the transformative field of artificial intelligence (AI). As a coordinated effort between governments, industry and academia, the new institute aims to capture the commercial potential of Canada’s existing research strength, and to act as a magnet to retain and attract top talent. This initiative marks the first of Canada’s “supercluster” endeavors.

In its 2017 budget, the federal government committed to invest $950 million in a small number of big bets, with the goal of creating “superclusters”…