Governments Boost AI Funding, Regulation and Infrastructure in Canada, Australia, Malaysia and the US

The Canadian federal government announced more than C$20 million for nine Greater Toronto Area firms to adopt advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, including a C$10‑million expansion by Accuenergy Canada that will create 30 full‑time jobs. Around the same time, HIVE Digital Technologies disclosed plans for a CAD 3.5 billion AI gigafactory in the Toronto‑Waterloo corridor that will house over 100,000 GPUs by 2027.

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a national AI strategy that creates a dedicated office within the Prime Minister’s Department, speeds up datacentre approvals and introduces a “Digital Duty of Care” requiring large AI firms to conduct risk assessments and report harms. The Labor government also pledged new guardrails for automated decision‑making in federal agencies, tightening privacy and consumer‑protection rules after the fallout from the Robodebt scandal.

Malaysia launched a public consultation on its first AI Governance Bill and held high‑level talks with OpenAI to shape the country’s AI talent and education programmes under the Malaysia Digital 2030 agenda.

In the United States, the Department of Commerce’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation saw its director Chris Fall resign after three months, with NIST’s Arvind Raman taking over as acting head, as the agency continues to evaluate AI threats to security and commerce.