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 under Phase 2 of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy to develop and deliver a dedicated, national AI infrastructure, specifically compute capacity and related services.

The PAICE initiative is collaboratively led by a coalition comprised of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance), Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Canadian National AI Institutes (Amii, Mila and Vector), Calcul Québec, and with key infrastructure and technical expertise from 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. 

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.  

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

We are pleased to announce that the Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE) has officially launched and is now available for eligible researchers affiliated with the AI institutes. Eligible researchers may request access to any of the available PAICE systems.

For researchers affiliated with AI institutes

If you are:

• A Canada CIFAR AI Chair or part of a Canada CIFAR AI Chair research team 
  • Faculty members with a tenure track appointment at a Canadian university and a formal relationship with one of the AI institutes (Amii, Mila, Vector Institute)
  • Faculty members holding a Canada CIFAR AI Chair or identified as core faculty at an AI institute
  • The research teams led by these faculty members including postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and approved collaborators
  • "Approved collaborators" are faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, or employees of an academic or research institution requested by the PI and approved by the institute
• An AI institute faculty affiliate at Amii, Mila, or Vector Institute
  • Faculty members with a tenure track appointment at a Canadian university and a formal relationship with one of the AI institutes
  • The research teams led by these faculty members including postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and approved collaborators
  • "Approved collaborators" are faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, or employees of an academic or research institution requested by the PI and approved by the institute

Access to PAICE systems will be conveniently available within CCDB account settings. 

Other Canadian AI researchers will gain access in phases, with full availability planned for late Spring 2025. Detailed information for these future user groups will be provided closer to their respective launch dates. We will share all updates through this webpage, as well as through the CIFAR and Alliance newsletters and social media channels.

We appreciate your patience as we implement this phased approach to ensure optimal service quality for all users.

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

• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• PAICE systems documentation page