(Bromont) The federal government announces an investment of nearly $60 million in semiconductors, a technology omnipresent in electronic devices, also used to develop artificial intelligence.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, made the announcement Friday morning, in Bromont, in Estrie, in the company of several federal and Quebec ministers.
This sum of 59.9 million will be invested to support projects from IBM Canada and the MiQro Innovation Collaboration Center (C2MI) in Bromont, “in order to increase the production of semiconductors and stimulate economic growth,” specifies we say in the government press release.
Ottawa wants Canada to become a “world leader in semiconductor manufacturing.”
Quebec for its part grants 38.9 million to IBM Canada through Investissement Québec, announced the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in a press release.
The companies’ projects, worth 226.5 million, will create more than 280 “highly skilled” jobs in the region, as well as 240 trainee positions, according to the federal government.
Semiconductors, also called microchips, are used in several sectors, including computing and medical equipment. They are also useful in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
According to the government, this industry brings together more than 500 Canadian and multinational companies in Canada.
“Today’s announcement is a major victory for Canada and our vibrant technology sector,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
“It will create good-paying jobs, invest in innovation, strengthen supply chains and ensure that the most advanced technologies are made in Canada. »