Amii expands AI adoption program for Prairie SMEs with $2.5M from PrairiesCan
Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is expanding its regional AI adoption program with an additional $2.5 million from Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). The new money brings total federal investment in the initiative to $5.6 million and lets Amii work directly with 25 more businesses in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- PrairiesCan adds $2.5 million, bringing total federal investment in Amii's AI adoption program to $5.6 million.
- The funding lets Amii partner directly with 25 new SMEs in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Early engagements are underway in energy, agriculture and manufacturing, with limited capacity remaining.
- Since 2024, Amii says it has partnered with 30 regional SMEs, with full technology and IP transfer to participants.
What the funding covers
According to Amii, the expansion is meant to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the three Prairie provinces access to its machine learning expertise so they can scale AI capabilities, accelerate growth and compete globally. The additional funding allows the institute to partner directly with 25 new Prairie businesses.
Initial engagements are already underway in the energy, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Amii says limited capacity remains for Prairie-based SMEs that want to de-risk AI development by working with it.
How the projects work
The program runs through hands-on Advanced Technology Projects. Participating SMEs work alongside Amii's scientists and embedded project ML residents to co-create bespoke AI architectures while building internal expertise.
Amii says this collaborative model ensures complete technology and IP transfer. The aim is to give regional businesses the in-house capabilities to maintain their own operational systems and scale quickly, while keeping high-value innovation, talent and IP in the Prairies.
Results since the 2024 launch
Since the initial launch in 2024, Amii says it has partnered with 30 regional SMEs to optimize operations, scale capabilities and commercialize new AI solutions. The organization highlights several examples:
- Croptimistic: Amii enhanced Carson's core SWAT Maps platform with computer vision and machine learning to improve early-season cereal crop prediction and management.
- Carson Integrated: 20 years of Carson's field data was converted into an AI tool that achieves up to 90% predictive accuracy in stream classification, which Amii says speeds regulatory approvals for forestry and energy clients.
- Visionstate: Amii improved the company's WANDA facilities management platform with real-time AI route optimization, and Visionstate brought two new commercial AI products to market.
- Ambyint: Amii deployed advanced reinforcement learning to optimize unpredictable gas well operations, which it says lowered operational costs and methane emissions and built long-term AI capabilities in the engineering team.
Reactions and what it means
Amii CEO Cam Linke said a robust innovation ecosystem depends on equipping Prairie-based SMEs with practical AI tools and capabilities. The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, the minister responsible for PrairiesCan, said the support will help strengthen the regional AI ecosystem, speed the commercialization of research and help businesses adopt solutions that drive productivity, economic growth and high-quality jobs.
Riva, an Edmonton-based enterprise software provider, is among the early beneficiaries. Victoria George, VP of Product at Riva, said the investment accelerated the company's AI roadmap and positioned it to deliver value to customers much sooner than planned.
For Prairie SMEs, the practical takeaway is that capacity is limited. Businesses interested in the program can contact Amii's Investments & Partnerships team.
