By Florian Hirzinger - www.fh-ap.com - Own work (Florian Hirzinger), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6212692www.hirzinger.cc
TORONTO — Data centres and the massive computing infrastructure required to power artificial intelligence remain controversial in many communities because of concerns about energy use, land requirements and environmental impacts. Industry experts say, however, the rapid expansion of AI means new data infrastructure is coming to Canada regardless, as businesses race to adopt the technology.
Toronto-based cloud consulting firm OpsGuru says one of the biggest barriers facing Canadian companies is not access to artificial intelligence itself, but the ability to organize and manage the vast amounts of data needed to make AI useful.
The company announced Wednesday the launch of its Energy Lakehouse Accelerator, a platform designed to help businesses build data infrastructure for AI applications significantly faster than traditional approaches.
OpsGuru says organizations have historically required six to 12 months to build and deploy large-scale data systems capable of supporting AI initiatives. The company says its new platform can reduce implementation times by as much as 80 per cent.
The announcement comes as AI adoption continues to accelerate across Canada.
According to research commissioned by Amazon Web Services, approximately 650,000 Canadian businesses now use AI tools, but only about 15 per cent have reached a stage where the technology is fundamentally changing how they operate.
Industry analysts say many organizations continue to struggle with data stored across separate systems, including operational technology platforms, financial databases, compliance records and customer information. Those disconnected systems often make it difficult to deploy AI applications at scale.
OpsGuru president and chief executive officer Ryan Smyth said many companies have already identified AI opportunities but remain constrained by the time required to build the underlying data infrastructure.
“Energy companies are not waiting on better AI models. They are waiting on data infrastructure that is actually ready for AI,” Smyth said.
The Energy Lakehouse Accelerator is built on Amazon Web Services infrastructure and is designed to combine operational data from field equipment, sensors and industrial systems with corporate and financial information in a single governed platform.
OpsGuru says the offering is aimed primarily at sectors including energy, utilities, mining, manufacturing and financial services, industries where large volumes of operational and regulatory data often reside in separate systems.
The launch follows OpsGuru receiving Amazon Web Services’ Data and Analytics Competency designation, a certification awarded to partners who demonstrate expertise in designing and operating enterprise-scale data and analytics environments.
The company says the new platform is available immediately through the AWS Marketplace.
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