AI Compute Access Fund
Supports Canadian companies by improving access to high-performance computing for life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
The AI Compute Access Fund is the purchasing-support pillar of Canada's Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, also run by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. It sets aside $300 million to help Canadian small and medium businesses secure high-performance AI compute for work in life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing, and related commercialization paths. The fund offers non-repayable, conditionally repayable, or repayable contributions from $100,000 to $5 million over as long as three years. Canadian for-profit companies are the intended applicants, with coverage set at two-thirds of eligible costs for Canadian cloud compute and one-half for non-Canadian cloud; the most recent intake closed on July 31, 2025. This is a fit for firms that already know what they need from compute and can absorb the rest of the bill. The strongest cases will pair a defined technical workload with a commercial plan that makes the remaining matching spend look like an investment, not just a subsidy request.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Multiple per year.