AI Compute Access Fund - Grant Brief ### 📋 Eligible Entities - Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Canada - Businesses in high-potential AI adoption sectors, including: - Life sciences and healthcare - Energy and natural resources - Manufacturing and industrial applications - Other sectors demonstrating significant AI adoption potential - Organizations must have fewer than 500 employees (typical SME threshold) - Canadian-controlled private corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships qualify - Applicants must demonstrate existing barriers to accessing high-performance computing infrastructure ### 💰 Funding Details - Grant Structure: Non-repayable financial contribution (grant, not loan) - Funding Amount: Specific per-applicant limits to be confirmed in program guidelines - Cost-Sharing Requirement: Likely 50/50 matching ratio (applicant covers 50%, grant covers 50%) - Payment Method: Reimbursement-based or installment disbursement upon milestone achievement - Eligible Funding Duration: Multi-year support window for sustained compute access ### 🛠️ Approved Expenses - Infrastructure & Technology: - Cloud computing services and GPU/TPU access fees - AI hardware and specialized compute equipment - Software licensing for AI development platforms - Development & Implementation: - AI model development and training - Data infrastructure and management systems - Integration of AI solutions into existing operations - Human Capital: - Salaries for AI developers, engineers, and data scientists - Training and upskilling programs for staff - Technical consulting fees for AI implementation - Supporting Activities: - Feasibility studies and AI readiness assessments - Proof-of-concept project development ### ⚠️ Conditions & Milestones - Eligibility Verification: Must demonstrate genuine barriers to accessing compute infrastructure - Sector Alignment: Operations must fall within approved high-potential AI adoption sectors - Performance Milestones: - Defined project deliverables tied to funding tranches - Progress reporting requirements (quarterly or semi-annual) - AI model development or deployment