Techcouver.com

Inflation is changing how Canadians think about energy use at home. According to new research from BC Hydro, rising costs are prompting many households to look more closely at how they use electricity, with smart home technology emerging as one way to better manage consumption and bills. From smart thermostats and lighting to connected appliances and energy monitoring tools, Canadians are increasingly turning to technology to make their homes more efficient. For B.C. households, the message is clear: smarter energy use is no longer just about convenience. It is becoming part of how families respond to affordability pressures. https://lnkd.in/g4-Vjb3Z

AI is no longer just changing how Canadians work — it is beginning to reshape how they think about their careers. A new study from Toronto-based Borderless AI found that 46% of employed Canadians say AI has already impacted their long-term career growth, with many workers actively building new skills around the technology. But the shift is not being felt evenly. Younger workers, university-educated Canadians, and those navigating a tighter labour market are feeling the pressure most acutely — even as traditional concerns like wages, job security, flexibility, and career advancement remain top of mind. The study also points to a major opportunity for employers: Canadian workers are open to AI, but they are still making career decisions based on compensation, flexibility, security, and growth. https://lnkd.in/eswGCwEK

Thomson Reuters is bringing CoCounsel Legal Canada to Vancouver. The new platform is designed specifically for the Canadian market, bringing legal research, analysis, drafting, and document review into one integrated AI-powered experience. Grounded in trusted Westlaw and Practical Law content, CoCounsel Legal Canada is being positioned as professional-grade support for legal professionals as firms and in-house teams move from AI experimentation toward adoption in day-to-day legal work. Thomson Reuters will host an in-person launch event on June 10 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, featuring a live product demo, workflow-focused demo stations, and networking with product experts and peers. https://lnkd.in/g_c7tGnc

Clio CTO Jonathan Watson is heading to Toronto Tech Week. Watson will join Dr. Sasha Saunders, Director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Legal Innovation Zone, for a fireside chat on what it takes to build, scale, and sustain legal technology in Canada. Hosted by the Legal Innovation Zone, Clio, and Toronto Tech Week, the event will explore legal innovation, AI, software, product development, user experience, and the future of law as Canadian legal tech continues to mature. For Canada’s legal technology community, it is a timely conversation with one of the leaders behind one of the country’s flagship legaltech companies. https://lnkd.in/dwXHJ9MG

North Vancouver robotics innovation is getting a bigger platform. Locus Robotics has announced it is acquiring Nexera Robotics, the company behind NeuraGrasp, a proprietary technology designed to help robots pick a wider range of items with greater speed, precision, and adaptability. The acquisition will see Nexera’s team and leadership join Locus Robotics, with NeuraGrasp expected to be integrated into the company’s Locus Array AI platform. For warehouse automation, the deal points to a major step forward in mobile manipulation, where robots need to handle millions of different SKU types across high-velocity fulfillment environments. https://lnkd.in/g468r-cy

TELUS is making another major bet on Canada’s digital future. The company says it will invest more than $66 billion over the next five years to strengthen network infrastructure and operations across the country, building on $294 billion already invested since 2000. CEO Darren Entwistle described TELUS’ 5G and PureFibre networks as modern “critical infrastructure,” supporting everything from remote work and online healthcare to education, agriculture, and Canada’s broader digital economy. The announcement also comes as TELUS expands its AI infrastructure in British Columbia, including a planned sovereign AI cluster with more than 60,000 high-performance GPUs and over 150 megawatts of capacity by 2032. https://lnkd.in/guyPSuKb

Big AI infrastructure news for Canada. BUZZ HPC, a subsidiary of HIVE Digital Technologies, has announced plans for a 320 MW sovereign AI infrastructure project in the Greater Toronto Area. Led by HIVE CEO Aydin Kilic and BUZZ HPC President and COO Craig Tavares, the planned AI gigafactory is expected to support more than 100,000 GPUs at full build-out and represents a major expansion of BUZZ’s Canadian footprint. With sites spanning British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, BUZZ is positioning itself as a key player in Canada’s race to build domestic AI compute capacity. The project is expected to come online in the second half of 2027 and could represent a $3.5 billion investment in Canadian AI infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/gkKf9dQG

Moment Energy is continuing to raise the bar for second-life battery storage. The Canadian cleantech company has become the first globally to achieve UL 60730-1 functional safety certification for a battery management system designed specifically for repurposed EV batteries. According to cofounder and CTO Gabriel Soares, the milestone helps prove that repurposed batteries can match purpose-built storage on safety, reliability, and performance—giving customers, battery OEMs, automakers, utilities, and regulators more confidence to deploy second-life systems in critical infrastructure. The certification follows a busy stretch for Moment Energy, including a $40 million Series B led by Evok Innovations and plans for what cofounder and CEO Edward Chiang has described as the world’s largest battery repurposing facility in Surrey. https://lnkd.in/gxc4dW5z

Thermaspire Technologies is taking its data centre cooling technology to the Okanagan Angel Summit finale. The Vancouver startup, founded by Jesse Hudkins, P.Eng. and Cheryl G., has been named one of five finalists for Accelerate Okanagan’s 8th Annual Okanagan Angel Summit, putting it in the running for a $200,000-plus investment fund. Thermaspire is developing resource-efficient cooling systems for data centres, combining evaporative cooling with a hydroponic system designed to reduce both power and water consumption. It joins fellow finalists Bullfinch Earth, Drawbridge, shuriii, and Lyrata Inc, selected from 81 companies across Canada. As AI-driven demand puts new pressure on data centre infrastructure, cooling is becoming one of the sector’s most important challenges. https://lnkd.in/g9anfE4z

B.C. mining technology is getting global attention. Burnaby’s RIGID ROBOTICS has been named one of three grand winners in Hitachi Construction Machinery’s inaugural LANDCROS Innovation Studios Mining Challenge, taking top spot in the Smarter Machines category. The company was recognized for applying AI to mining equipment, with technology designed to support operator guidance today and help lay the groundwork for more autonomous excavation in the future. The win gives Rigid Robotics a chance to work with Hitachi Construction Machinery on commercialization while highlighting British Columbia’s growing strength in mining innovation. Mehran Motamed #bctech https://lnkd.in/gKhpKeCH