FEBRUARY 4, 2026
TELUS opens Canada's first fully sovereign AI Factory to startups and small businesses through L-SPARK collaboration
Strategic partnership will democratize access to sovereign AI compute, enabling Canadian startups to scale domestically while competing globally
Ottawa, Ontario – TELUS and L-SPARK today announced a new partnership to provide Canadian startups and innovators with access to the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory –
Canada’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer
– addressing a critical barrier facing Canadian AI startups: access to high-performance compute infrastructure without relocating or building on foreign platforms.This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enabling Canada’s startup and innovation ecosystem by providing them access to the same enterprise-grade computing infrastructure available to large organizations. By making this same technology available, regardless of business size, TELUS and L-SPARK are creating a new pathway for Canadian companies to build cutting-edge AI solutions, scale domestically and compete globally – all while keeping everything under Canadian control and jurisdiction.
As Canada's leading corporate accelerator partner, L-SPARK connects high-potential startups and growing companies with enterprise partners and the resources necessary to thrive in today's competitive market. For nearly a decade, L-SPARK has supported over 130 Canadian companies through specialized accelerator programs, helping them raise more than $200 million in follow-on funding. Now, this landmark partnership will empower more startups and small businesses to leverage the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory – powered by latest-generation NVIDIA H200 GPUs and NVIDIA Quantum 2 InfiniBand networking – to train, fine-tune and deploy AI models on Canadian-controlled infrastructure.
“Canada has world-class AI talent, founders and research institutions; however, a structural shortage of sovereign domestic compute has limited startups from innovating without sending their sensitive data abroad,” said Hesham Fahmy, Chief Information Officer, TELUS. “By teaming up with L-SPARK, we are leveling the playing field and opening the doors of our Sovereign AI Factory to the country’s founders and innovators who can now build breakthrough AI companies on infrastructure they control – keeping their innovations, intellectual property and competitive advantages in Canada. That's how we build our country’s next generation of AI leaders – kickstarting a new wave of innovation that will fuel economic growth and unlock billions in potential for Canada.”
The collaboration will prioritize organizations in regulated and mission-critical sectors where data residency, auditability and Canadian legal jurisdiction are essential, including public sector services, healthcare, finance, critical infrastructure and utilities.
“Founders and researchers across Canada are hitting the same wall: they have ambitious AI roadmaps, but limited access to the compute they need to execute,” said Leo Lax, Executive Managing Director, L-SPARK. “This partnership connects them directly to Canada’s most powerful sovereign AI platform at the exact moment when access to scalable, compliant GPU infrastructure will decide who leads in the next wave of AI innovation.”
This partnership builds on TELUS' longstanding commitment to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs across Canada through programs including TELUS Global Ventures, TELUS #
StandWithOwners
, and TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good. By providing access to sovereign, high-performance compute infrastructure, TELUS is helping level the playing field for Canadian startups that would otherwise need to rely on foreign cloud providers or forgo ambitious AI initiatives altogether. TELUS plans to expand startup AI access through additional partnerships with accelerators, incubators, research institutions and innovation hubs across Canada in the coming months.Canadian startups, scaleups and research teams with defined AI workloads and significant GPU requirements can
sign up here
with L-SPARK to access reserved TELUS AI Factory GPU capacity. About L-SPARK
L-SPARK is Canada’s leading Software accelerator, dedicated to driving corporate collaboration through its L-SPARK Select programs. By fostering connections between startups and established industry leaders, L-SPARK helps emerging companies accelerate their growth and bring innovative solutions to market.