Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE)

The rapidly evolving application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has contributed to numerous research breakthroughs, from drug discovery to innovations in autonomous vehicles and human-AI interactions. In response to the current and emerging AI needs of Canada’s research community, the Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE) was established in 2023 to develop dedicated, national AI infrastructure, specifically compute capacity and related services. This project builds on the Government of Canada’s $125 million Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy mandated in 2018 – the world’s first national AI strategy.  

The PAICE initiative is collaboratively led by a coalition comprised of the Alliance, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Canadian National AI Institutes (Amii, Mila and Vector), regional ARC organizations (Calcul Québec and Compute Ontario), and national host sites across Canada (Université Laval, University of Alberta and University of Toronto). This collaborative approach has been designed to ensure all organizations, including Canada’s research community, have a key role in the ongoing procurement, governance and oversight of national AI infrastructure. 

Objectives and national impact

PAICE’s objectives are to: 

  1. Provide dedicated computing capacity for research teams affiliated with Canadian National AI Institutes and other researchers in Canada who are applying AI methods to their research.  

  1. Allow for a significant increase in the specialized computing capacity and related services available to AI researchers, ensuring alignment with the national digital research infrastructure (DRI) strategy and its objectives and parameters. 

  1. Demonstrate benefits for the broader research community. 

As a part of a national platform, three new systems will provide priority access to the AI Institutes PIs (Principal Investigators), and general access to Canada’s research community using AI. These dedicated AI systems will benefit from a shared approach to security, a familiar software stack, and support through the national helpdesk ticketing system. 

PAICE is generously funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie, Québec, the Government of Alberta and the Vector Institute. 

FAQs

A: The Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE) was established in 2023 to develop dedicated, national AI infrastructure, specifically compute capacity and related services. This project builds on the Government of Canada’s Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy mandated in 2018 – the world’s first national AI strategy. 

A: PAICE is jointly funded by the following partners: 

  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 

  • Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie, Québec  

  • The Government of Alberta

  • The Vector Institute 

A: The PAICE systems will be managed by the Canadian National AI Institutes, in collaboration with teams from the regional ARC organizations and the host sites, Université Laval, University of Alberta and University of Toronto. 

A: The PAICE systems will be available in 2025. Further details about the systems' architecture and timeline will be updated on the PAICE systems documentation page.

A: The PAICE systems provide dedicated computing capacity for researchers using AI across Canada. You can access the systems if your research is on AI or uses AI. To receive access, please apply for an account on the CCDB.

A: The PAICE systems’ technical specifications and documentation details are available on the systems’ documentation page.  

More information

For further details about PAICE and Canada’s evolving AI infrastructure, visit: