Mila, 5C, and Hypertec have entered a strategic collaboration to advance Canada’s global leadership in artificial intelligence with the launch of a Sovereign AI Research Hub at Hypertec’s new global headquarters and technology campus in LaSalle. Backed by investments of up to $250 million, the project is designed to provide sovereign compute capacity, foster sustainable innovation, and empower Canadian researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs.
The new LaSalle campus will bring together Hypertec’s operations, 5C’s advanced infrastructure expertise, and Mila’s world-renowned AI research capabilities under one ecosystem. The facility is set to accelerate AI adoption by offering secure, scalable access to next-generation compute capacity, showcasing pioneering AI applications, and driving sustainable infrastructure models. It will also serve as a global reference point for advanced benchmarking techniques, high-performance compute scaling strategies, and energy-efficient data center innovation.
Key Features of the LaSalle Campus and Sovereign AI Hub
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Next-Generation Campus: A state-of-the-art headquarters with ultra-high-density systems, advanced cooling technologies, and dedicated AI R&D facilities.
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Sovereign AI Infrastructure: Up to 3 MW of secure AI capacity powered by GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, operated under strict regulatory and security standards.
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Accelerated Innovation: Designed to support Canadian researchers, entrepreneurs, and startups in building and scaling advanced AI solutions.
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Sustainability Leadership: Energy-efficient immersion cooling and heat recovery technologies that cut power consumption and costs by up to 50%.
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Economic Growth: More than 50 highly skilled jobs created across sectors including academia, healthcare, finance, natural resources, and defense.
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Ecosystem Collaboration: Reinforcing Montreal’s position as a hub of AI excellence by fostering partnerships across industry, government, and academia.
“For researchers and startups that are constantly pushing the boundaries of AI, access to state-of-the-art computing infrastructure is an absolute necessity. This partnership creates a unique opportunity to leverage Mila’s expertise and creativity to help solve one of today’s most pressing challenges. Developing state-of-the-art compute with less energy and more intelligence is the way forward to scale Canada’s global impact,” said Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila.
“At 5C, our mission is to unlock the next AI frontier factory by deploying sovereign, sustainable, and scalable AI infrastructure. The hub is where innovation meets impact fueling growth for Canada’s AI ecosystem,” said Jonathan Ahdoot, CEO of 5C.
“Hypertec’s new LaSalle campus will anchor the next generation of AI innovation in Quebec. By investing in infrastructure and collaborating with Mila and 5C, we are creating a platform for global leadership,” said Simon Ahdoot, President of Hypertec Group.
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“I am delighted for the Canadian ecosystem to see an announcement of this magnitude, which demonstrates the mobilization of our industry from coast to coast. This is exactly what ALL IN showcases as the largest AI event in Canada. Thanks to investments like Hypertec’s and visionary partners such as Mila and 5C, our ecosystem is equipping itself with the means to grow, to establish itself internationally, and to shape the future of an AI-powered economy.” ––Isabelle Turcotte, co-founder and CEO, ALL IN
“The Government of Canada welcomes this significant private investment, which strengthens our position as a global leader in cloud infrastructure and AI compute. Hypertec, 5C, Mila, and other Canadian innovators across the country share our government’s commitment to data sovereignty and security. As demand for AI accelerates, our support for Canadian data centre operators ensures robust, sovereign capabilities to power the next generation of technology solutions.” The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
“Today, Montreal once again demonstrates its role as a global leader in artificial intelligence. With Hypertec’s $250 million investment and the new Sovereign AI Research Hub with Mila and 5C, this initiative is advancing Canada’s digital sovereignty and strengthening the backbone of our AI economy keeping Canadian data secure, powering our researchers and entrepreneurs, and ensuring our innovations are built here, for Canadians and for the world.” The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation
“The Government of Quebec proudly welcomes the announcement of these private investments, which once again demonstrate that Montreal is a true hub for the growth of artificial intelligence in Canada and North America. It showcases the expertise that has been built here over the years. The collaboration between Mila, 5C, and Hypertec will further strengthen Quebec’s leadership in this field across Canada,” said Christine Fréchette, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy.
Looking Ahead
The LaSalle campus and Sovereign AI Research Hub are poised to define the future of AI infrastructure in Canada. By uniting sovereign compute capabilities with energy-efficient, sustainable practices, the initiative will attract global talent, accelerate research, and secure Quebec and Canada’s position at the forefront of AI innovation.
Testing will include advanced methods such as immersion cooling for PCIe systems, deployment of the latest GPUs, and optimized hardware acceleration for AI training, inference, and fine-tuning. With Mila’s research expertise and the infrastructure strengths of 5C and Hypertec, the collaboration delivers future-proof AI capacity that ensures resilience against shifts in industry trends or software platforms. This project sets a blueprint for building sovereign, scalable, and sustainable AI factories that showcase Canada’s leadership in the digital era.
