Strategic Research Initiatives

Demonstrated Impact Across Critical Sectors

PermafrostGPT

High-resolution predictive modeling for northern infrastructure resilience. Machine learning models trained on 40+ years of ground temperature data to forecast permafrost degradation at 1-km resolution.

Impact: Projected savings: $8–12B in infrastructure protection across NWT and Yukon

Partners: Natural Resources Canada, GNWT, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Technical Specifications

Model: Transformer-based spatiotemporal forecasting (1.2B parameters)

Data: GSC borehole network, MODIS LST, ERA5 reanalysis, infrastructure GIS layers

Resolution: 1 km spatial, daily temporal, 10-year forecast horizon

Compute: Training: 500 GPU-hours on Narval; Inference: real-time edge deployment

MapleFusion

Accelerated materials discovery for fusion reactor components. AI-driven simulation reduces magnet and plasma-facing material design cycles from 5 years to 6 months.

Impact: Enabling pathway to commercial fusion by 2035

Partners: General Fusion, Kyoto Fusor, National Research Council

Technical Specifications

Model: Graph neural network for crystal structure prediction + DFT surrogate

Data: Materials Project, AFLOW, proprietary plasma exposure datasets

Resolution: Atomic-scale simulation with 10⁶ candidate materials screening

Compute: Multi-fidelity active learning on 2,000+ GPU cluster

Pan-Canadian Cancer Moonshot

Federated learning across provincial cancer registries while maintaining strict data governance. Privacy-preserving AI identifies novel immunotherapy targets without centralizing patient data.

Impact: 3 novel therapeutic targets identified; $2B+ projected healthcare savings

Partners: CIHR, BC Cancer Agency, Ontario Health

Technical Specifications

Model: Federated ensemble of genomic transformers with differential privacy (ε=1.0)

Data: 10M+ patient records across 6 provincial registries (federated, never centralized)

Resolution: Single-nucleotide variant detection, HLA typing, neoantigen prediction

Compute: Secure multi-party computation across provincial data enclaves

Critical Minerals Initiative

AI-powered geological analysis combining satellite imagery, geophysical surveys, and historical data to identify economically viable rare earth and lithium deposits.

Impact: 10 new deposit candidates; $15B+ potential export revenue

Partners: Natural Resources Canada, Indigenous Resource Network

Technical Specifications

Model: Multi-modal fusion: hyperspectral CNN + geophysical inversion network

Data: Landsat-9, ASTER, airborne magnetics, gravimetry, drill core archives

Resolution: 30m surface, 500m subsurface, continental coverage

Compute: Distributed processing of 50TB imagery + 3D geological modeling

Borealis Climate Twin

Digital twin of Canada's Arctic and boreal ecosystems. Daily 1-km resolution forecasts for sea ice extent, wildfire risk, and ecosystem changes through 2035.

Impact: $5B+ annual reduction in climate-related disaster costs

Partners: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Polar Continental Shelf Program

Technical Specifications

Model: Physics-informed neural network coupled with CanESM5 downscaling

Data: RADARSAT Constellation, MODIS, VIIRS, CFS reanalysis, station networks

Resolution: 1 km spatial, hourly to daily temporal, ensemble forecasting

Compute: Real-time assimilation on 10 PB data lake with streaming inference

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