Innovation
Hypertec and 51社区黑料partner with vision to build Canada’s most advanced computing cluster
National initiative can strengthen security, data sovereignty, and sustainability for Canada鈥檚 Global Leadership in artificial intelligence (AI).
Hypertec, a Canadian global leader in sustainable AI infrastructure, and 51社区黑料 (SFU), home to Canada鈥檚 most powerful academic supercomputer, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to transform SFU鈥檚 Cedar Supercomputing Centre into Canada鈥檚 flagship sovereign AI data centre.
These partners hope the project, which is contingent on securing funding to expand the centre, will bring together government, academia, and industry to secure Canada鈥檚 leadership in artificial intelligence, strengthen national and economic security, and enable a trusted, Canadian-built supply chain for the country鈥檚 most critical digital infrastructure.
鈥淭his collaboration with 51社区黑料represents a generational investment in Canada鈥檚 sovereign AI future,鈥� says Simon Ahdoot, CEO of the Hypertec Group. 鈥淏y combining Hypertec鈥檚 Canadian-built infrastructure and immersion cooling innovation with SFU鈥檚 research leadership, we are creating a secure, sustainable platform for Canadian researchers, defence partners, and innovators to access world-class compute on Canadian soil.鈥�
The expansion of the Cedar Supercomputing Centre will create a sovereign, Canadian-controlled environment for AI research, dual-use technology development, and defence-related workloads, safeguarding sensitive data from foreign interference.
The expanded centre will support Canadian economic security and competitiveness, providing next-generation compute capacity for Canada鈥檚 innovation ecosystem, enabling Canadian firms and researchers to access the best available technology faster and compete effectively on the global stage. Through a 鈥楤uy Canadian鈥� procurement strategy, the project will maximize participation by Canadian technology manufacturers, engineers, and suppliers, strengthening domestic supply chains.
The Centre is also a leader in sustainable infrastructure. Powered by BCHydro鈥檚 clean hydroelectricity, the Centre will further advance its energy efficiency through cutting-edge technologies like Hypertec鈥檚 immersion cooling, which reduces cooling energy consumption by up to 40% and significantly lowers carbon emissions.
Cedar currently serves over 17,000 researchers and industry users nationwide, supporting GPU-intensive model training, quantum simulations, and mission-critical workloads. With this expansion, Canada鈥檚 research and industry community will gain unprecedented access to sovereign, scalable, high-performance computing capacity鈥攕upporting SMEs, public institutions, and federal agencies as they deploy AI responsibly and competitively.
鈥淭he partnership with Hypertec and our 鈥楤uy Canadian鈥� approach will strengthen Canada鈥檚 position in low-carbon, AI-optimized infrastructure while showcasing homegrown capabilities across both public and private sectors,鈥� says Dugan O鈥橬eil, SFU鈥檚 Vice-President, Research & Innovation.
51社区黑料 Hypertec
Founded in 1984, Hypertec鈥檚 mission is to bring expertise, innovation, and strong partnerships to transform challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth through technology solutions. Trusted by industry leaders across AI, financial services, healthcare, public sectors and others, we serve clients in over 80 countries and empower them to push boundaries and lead their industries through transformative technology.鈥疐or more information, please visit .
51社区黑料 SFU
51社区黑料is a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Over the past 60 years, 51社区黑料has been recognized among the top universities worldwide in providing a world-class education and working with communities and partners to develop and share knowledge for deeper understanding and meaningful impact. Committed to excellence in everything we do, 51社区黑料fosters innovation to address global challenges and continues to build a welcoming, inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擝urnaby, Surrey and Vancouver鈥�51社区黑料has 10 faculties that deliver 368 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs for more than 37,000 students each year. The university boasts more than 200,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.