This event is by invitation only.

If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Caitlin at caitlin@digitalnovascotia.com. Proceed to registration if you have received an access code.

You will be able to join one of two sessions available:

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Join us with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada in collaboration with ACENET and Volta, for an executive consultation on Canada’s national AI infrastructure strategy.

The Digital Research Alliance of Canada is consulting with both researchers and industry to help shape the design of Canada’s next-generation AI compute infrastructure. The Alliance is hosting conversations with the research community and with industry stakeholders to ensure the strategy reflects the diverse and evolving needs of Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

Canada is investing up to $705 million in a new AI supercomputing system through the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program—and we want to hear from you! This Canadian-owned and operated system will exponentially increase the compute power available to researchers and industry, unlocking new opportunities for discovery, innovation, and commercialization. (AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program, Government of Canada)

The Digital Research Alliance of Canada is leading a series of national consultations to engage the academic community, researchers and industry stakeholders from across the country. The researcher-focused consultation aims to capture the specific needs and priorities of Canada’s scientific and scholarly community to ensure the national AI infrastructure is built to support discovery, innovation, and equitable access. In parallel, the industry-focused consultation, offers a collaborative forum to gather input from Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators on the future of AI infrastructure.  

This is your opportunity to help shape a secure, scalable, and future-ready national AI compute strategy.

Halifax will be the first stop in this nation-wide consultation series led by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.

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Special guests for this event include:

Greg Lukeman | CEO @ ACENET

Greg has been involved with HPC since 2000, either as a user, systems administrator, or managing executive. As the Chief Technology Officer for ACENET from 2006 to 2019, Greg guided the creation of ACENET, its technical team, and its computing resources. He has been a participant in the evolution of Compute Canada since its inception through to the Digital Research Alliance of Canada transition, representing Atlantic Canada on the Technology Leadership Council, numerous committees and various working groups. He represented Atlantic Canada on the ARC working group of the Leadership Council on Digital Research Infrastructure (LCDRI), the group that prepared the report for the federal government that resulted in significant new funding for digital research infrastructure in Canada.

Stephen Wu | Director of Partnerships @ Digital Research Alliance of Canada

Stephen is the executive lead for the Alliance’s collaborative national response to the Government of Canada’s AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program. He is also responsible for managing the Alliance’s external relations to bring Canadian researchers, industry, and government partners together to position Canada as a global leader in digital research infrastructure.