After twenty years in Quebec, Google Canada celebrates the official opening of “Espace Google Viger”, a sustainability-focused office in downtown Montreal. And in an effort to bolster support for Quebec’s tech ecosystem, the company is committing $2.75M to initiatives in the province, including continued support for Mila, Quebec’s artificial intelligence institute, expanded Google Career Certificate courses, and providing Google.org grants to Digital Moment, NPower Canada and other local nonprofits.
“Since our beginnings in 2004, where three engineers made up our entire presence, the new office is home to a variety of teams that work on some of the most crucial products and services Google offers worldwide, everything from cybersecurity, to AI research, to Chrome and Cloud,” Fabrice Jaubert, Montréal site lead for Google Canada explained. “The retrofitted historical building pays tribute to Montréal by reflecting the essence of five of the city’s most beloved neighborhoods – Little Italy, Le Village, Le Plateau, Chinatown and Old Port – it includes carefully curated art from local artists, and is equipped with the latest LEED Gold sustainability standards.”
The $1.5 million in funding to the Mila Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute will help support fundamental artificial intelligence (AI) research projects in areas such as AI for Humanity, climate change and sustainable agriculture. Support will also be provided to increase the successful participation of students and faculty from underrepresented groups in computer research careers.
“Google’s ongoing investment in AI in Quebec and at Mila is a testament to the strength of private, public, and academic partnerships that enable the best and brightest researchers as they advance responsible AI applications across sectors. Google’s ongoing commitment to Mila’s research community and our equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives confirms Quebec’s global leadership position in AI, enabling cutting-edge research, growth and innovation”, said Valérie Pisano, president and chief executive officer of Mila.
In addition, Google is announcing a Google.org grant to Digital Moment (formerly Kids Code Jeunesse) to launch the Quebec Digital Literacy Project, a program aimed at equipping teachers and students in grades 3-12 with digital skills.
Finally, to help Quebec job seekers acquire the technical and digital skills required in today’s job market, Google now offers Google Career Certificates in Project Management and IT Support in French. Google.org will provide a grant to NPower Canada to deliver Google Career Certificates in Quebec.
