Mode40 and CME partner to launch Prairies-wide AI initiative for aerospace, aviation, and defence

A Winnipeg data intelligence firm is partnering with Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) to launch a Prairies-wide program supporting AI integration in the aviation, aerospace, and defence industries. 

The news: Mode40, which specializes in bringing AI-enabled systems into industrial manufacturing, announced today a partnership with CME to launch what it’s calling the AeroTrace initiative. AeroTrace is designed to “demonstrate, validate, and communicate” the use cases of AI systems in manufacturing. The program will connect manufacturers with technical support, implementation planning, and opportunity assessments, among other benefits.

From the source: “Prairie manufacturers want practical pathways to adopt AI,” said Brittany Scarrow, the VP of prairie operations with CME. “AeroTrace brings manufacturers, funders, and industry stakeholders together with mode40 to test these capabilities in real operations.” 

Following the thread: AeroTrace’s programming will include nine manufacturing partners—three from each province in The Prairies—with eligible participants operating in either aviation, aerospace, defence, or dual-use manufacturing. Under the program, each manufacturer will receive guidance on AI implementation across streams like opportunity discovery, implementation planning, technical support, and validation processes. Mode40 will lead AeroTrace’s technical delivery, while CME will help recruit partnering manufacturers to participate in the program.

Results from the cohort will be used to author an industry white paper on the value of AI in industrial manufacturing across these sectors. It will also expand on issues involved in that AI use, like implementation barriers, cybersecurity, and recommended next steps for broader sector adoption.

Final thought: Spending on defence-adjacent manufacturing like aviation and aerospace is on the rise in Canada, but much of those dollars are still being funnelled outside of Canada’s domestic industrial base. Reporting last month from The Logic showed that 70 percent of the spending from the Feds’ “Buy Canadian” procurement policy is heading to the Canadian subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies. The AeroTrace partnership arrives amid an environment of fierce competition, and could be a leg up for Prairies-based manufacturers during a pivotal moment in Canada’s industrial sector.

BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.

Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Simon Kadula.