Web Summit Vancouver 2026 highlighted Canada’s ambition to build more of its technology economy domestically.
Federal, provincial and corporate announcements on domestic capital allocation, sovereign AI, quantum computing, clean tech and life sciences impacted the week.
Kicking off the event on May 11, federal AI Minister Ivan Solomon, joined on stage by Cohere’s Chief AI Officer Joël Pineau, pointed to the country’s research strength, talent base and growing infrastructure, while arguing that more support is needed for commercialization, capital formation and domestic scale.
He told the audience that Canada has an opportunity to become a major technology hub if it can overcome the structural problems that have long pushed startups and scaleups out of larger markets.
Throughout the summit, Canada’s technology strategy was presented less as a single policy and more as a coordinated effort to transform research and talent into globally competitive companies.
Major announcements and domestic measures
The broader message from Vancouver was that Canada wants to move beyond being a source of talent and research to becoming a place where major technology companies are built, financed and expanded.
one of the biggest announcements It comes from Cohere, which agreed to acquire Germany’s Aleph Alpha in a deal that will create a transatlantic AI company with global headquarters in Toronto and a European base in Berlin.
Cohere and Aleph Alpha are positioning the joint business as a sovereign AI provider for governments and enterprises that want advanced models without handing over key workloads to US hyperscalers. The combined company will retain the Cohair brand, with Aidan Gomez remaining as CEO.
Telus (TSX:T,NYSE:TU) also unveiled a major BC AI infrastructure plan with a planned expansion of its Kamloops data centre. Construction plans were also announced for two new sites in Vancouver, one in Mount Pleasant and one in downtown.
The buildout is expected to support more than 60,000 GPUs and more than 150 MW of capacity by 2032, with the company pointing to clean power, liquid cooling and heat recovery as part of its sustainability strategy.
Additionally, Coquitlam-based quantum computing company Photonic said it has secured more than C$200 million in new funding at a valuation of C$2 billion. The round highlighted the strength of Canada’s quantum ecosystem, receiving support from key backers including BDC, EDC, Bell Ventures, INBC and Mubadala Investment Company.
Photonics is building quantum and photonic hardware that could ultimately improve the way data centers operate and process information, making it a very relevant player for both the AI boom and next-generation compute infrastructure.
On the policy side, the province’s venture capital agency, INBC, also announced the SFU Innovates Venture Fund, a C$20 million commercialization vehicle for early-stage companies emerging from SFU research, particularly in the deep tech, clean tech and life sciences sectors.
The fund launched with C$7.5 million contributed by both InBC and SFU, with hopes of an additional C$5 million, bringing the total to C$20 million.
Ravi Kahlon, BC’s Minister of Employment and Economic Development, described the fund as a strategic tool to strengthen the provincial economy and ensure that local businesses can thrive at home despite the challenging global capital environment.
Canadian companies were also on display at Web Summit Vancouver, with Moment Energy and General Fusion being prominent names.
Moment Energy used the conference to unveil plans for a new battery-reuse facility in Surrey, described by CEO Edward Chiang as the world’s largest facility of its kind. The new site is expanding on its existing Metro Vancouver manufacturing base.
Second-life batteries can provide low-cost energy storage while cutting emissions, reducing pressure on raw material supply chains and supporting a more circular clean-energy economy.
Meanwhile, General Fusion used the forum to advance the case for long-term commercialization for fusion power, with CEO Greg Twinney saying the company believes an operational plant could be operational by 2035.
The company’s global headquarters are on Sea Island in Richmond, near Vancouver International Airport, where it is building and operating parts of its magnetic target fusion program, including the LM26 demonstration machine.
The company is attempting to commercialize fusion power by adopting a magnetic target fusion approach. It is developing hardware to prove the concept on a larger scale in Vancouver, while also moving forward a separate demonstration plant in the UK. The company says its goal is to move fusion from the laboratory to a practical source of clean energy.
The Vancouver site will establish the company’s Canadian R&D base and support the technical work required to reduce commercialization risk.
Ultimately, Web Summit Vancouver underlined Canada’s commitment to transforming its technology and business landscape.
Evidence of coordinated effort through strategic initiatives sends a clear message: Canada is open for business and ready to enhance its globally competitive technology.
Securities Disclosure: I, Megan Seiter, do not have any direct investment interest in any of the companies mentioned in this article.
