# Ottawa builds sovereign AI stack for Canadian defence ops

> MAIple Stack packages Canadian AI firms for CAF decision support, with a $33.5-million seed to test sovereign tech on deployments.

- Desk: TIC Staff
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Section: Policy
- Canonical: https://trueinflation.ca/article/ottawa-sovereign-ai-maple-stack-defence

Ottawa is assembling a sovereign AI stack for Canadian defence operations under an initiative known as MAIple Stack, the Department of National Defence says, pairing domestic AI firms with the Canadian Armed Forces as data sovereignty and battlefield decision speed move to the centre of modern warfare.

DND spokesperson Kened Sadiku said the program brings together Canadian AI technologies so CAF personnel in complex, data-rich environments can improve situational awareness and make faster, better-informed decisions. Companies were chosen to expand Canada’s sovereign AI ecosystem and align with the Defence Industrial Strategy. The 2026-27 departmental plan cites a $33.5-million seed investment to test sovereign AI on military deployments.

An out-of-office note from Maj. Tyler Currie listed Cohere, Anvil Intelligence, H2 Analytics, Larus Technologies and Tactiql among MAIple Stack technologies — firms that have already won Ottawa work on data analysis and rapid decision support. DND’s 2024 AI Strategy commits the Forces to being AI-enabled by 2030, warning that falling behind risks losing operational advantage.

MAIple Stack is phased — experimentation, operational integration and lessons learned — and is not a fixed one-time project. More capabilities may be added as Canada’s AI industry diversifies. Ottawa has released few operational details, citing national security, but the direction is clear: keep defence AI and the data that trains it under Canadian control.

Source: National Defence­