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Sep 20, 2022
Area X.O and the Government of Canada Host TCXpo, the First National Smart Mobility Tech Demo Day of Its Kind
Ottawa, Ontario; September 20, 2022 – Area X.O, a Canadian R&D complex operated by Invest Ottawa that accelerates the safe development, testing, and adoption of next-gen technology, Transport Canada (TC) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), are delighted to cohost TCXpo, the first national smart mobility tech demonstration day of its kind in Canada’s Capital today.
Set in the backdrop of this global tech hub with hundreds of industry, government, and innovation leaders, TCXpo brings together more than 50 Canadian companies to host live technology demonstrations at Area X.O. It creates an exclusive opportunity to experience the power and impact of cutting-edge Canadian technologies, including many preparing for global markets.
Companies large and small from Canada’s Capital and across the country are showcasing connected and autonomous vehicles, drones, smart-city solutions, IoT (Internet of Things) and robotic technology, agri-tech innovations, and more. These applications span every sector of our economy – from intelligent transportation to defence, public safety, smart farming, telecommunications, cleantech, environment, and smart cities. These firms have leveraged capabilities, programs, and support provided by Transport Canada, the ISED Innovative Solution Canada (ISC) Challenge Program, and/or Area X.O.
With live streaming of the entire event, TCXpo is brokering new connections and opportunities between participating companies and potential customers, partners, suppliers, investors, and regulators onsite and around the world. It underscores the value of collaboration and helps to fuel the growth and success of these Canadian companies. This is critical to Canada’s economy as global smart mobility markets are expected to exceed US$250 billion by 2030.
This inaugural demo day also features a series of high-profile announcements, interactive panel discussions from a concert-style stage, and CTV Ottawa’s Rosey Edeh who will serve as a roving reporter live on the ground. It builds on four years of strong collaboration between Area X.O and Transport Canada, showcasing cooperative technology projects with dozens of companies that aim to create safe smart intersections and railway crossings of the future.
TCXpo also showcases Ottawa’s thriving tech ecosystem, which includes more than 100 companies and organizations that contribute technology and intelligence to future vehicles and smart mobility innovations. Anchored by the highest concentration of tech talent in North America, world-leading post-secondary institutions and 65 federal research labs, Canada’s Capital is home to generations of internationally recognized telecommunications and cybersecurity expertise.
During TCXpo, participating innovators and firms are leveraging a wealth of technology and capabilities at Area X.O. Valued at more than $45 million, this facility is one of Canada’s leading roadway testbeds. It features an interconnected smart city with technology-laden roads and sensor-linked three and four-way intersections, a data-rich command centre and drone zone, a level railway crossing, a 100-acre smart farm, and one of the most advanced communications infrastructures in the world with 5G. The overarching goal of this complex: to help innovators and companies get to market faster and supports Canada’s goals of a safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable transportation system.
It is an ideal location for TCXpo. This R&D complex enables firms to develop, test and accelerate the adoption of their next-gen smart mobility, autonomy, and connectivity technologies. This is made possible by critical investments and support from co-founding partners including: the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario; the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), the City of Ottawa; Accenture, BlackBerry QNX, Ericsson, Microsoft, the National Capital Commission, Nokia, and Ottawa’s post-secondary institutions.
TCXpo is made possible through a joint venture between Area X.O operated by Invest Ottawa, Transport Canada, and ISED; generous contributions from Area X.O sponsors including FCC, MDK Business Law, and Rogers; and TCXpo event sponsors including Ansys, Bradley Kelly, InDro Robotics, Nokia, OC Transpo, Ottawa Special Events (OSE), and Ottawa Tourism.
Featured Quotes
“New transportation technologies provide opportunities to improve safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of our transportation system, while also creating strong economic opportunities for Canadian companies. I would like to thank our partners at Invest Ottawa, Area X.O, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for helping showcase Canada’s leadership in developing next-generation autonomous vehicles, robotics, drones, and other new transportation technologies highlighted at TCXpo. Our Government will continue supporting innovative companies that can improve transportation.”
The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport
“I’m so pleased to see the positive results from the work Innovative Solutions Canada’s support has facilitated. Today’s event, bringing together more than 50 Canadian companies, leaders in innovation and technology, will result in even more connections and opportunities, and our government is proud to be taking part in it.”
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“Our Government is committed to investing in our entrepreneurs and technology innovators that keep Ontario and Canada on the cutting-edge of mobility innovation. Invest Ottawa through Area X.O supports innovators of new Canadian technologies by providing them with the tools and space they need to create.”
The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
“TCXpo, Area X.O, and the programs delivered by Transport Canada and ISED underscore the impact of strong public-private sector collaboration. We are helping innovators and companies leverage our collective capabilities and accelerate the safe and secure commercialization, adoption, and export of Canadian smart mobility technologies. These innovations have the potential to solve grand challenges, fuel our economy, and create a more equitable and sustainable world. This is at the heart of Area X.O’s vision and mandate. Together, we are helping Canada create technology for a better world.”
Michael Tremblay, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O
“Sensor Cortek is honoured to participate in TCXpo. As a scaling tech company, the ability to demonstrate our technology to prospective customers, partners, and investors is invaluable. This event is one of the many opportunities we receive at Area X.O. This R&D complex enables us to collaborate consistently with researchers, regulators, and industry leaders, and access technology infrastructure that doesn’t exist anywhere else. We can test and evaluate the performance of our technology in true four-season Ottawa weather as we move from lab to market. These projects and events provide us with critical user feedback that supports the evolution of our product and accelerates our time to market.”
Fahed Hassanat, Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Engineering, Sensor Cortek (Ottawa, Ontario)
”TCXpo represents an opportunity for us to showcase the newest edition of our wildfire management solution, powered by Earth observation data from our high-altitude platforms, to better track and predict growth of active wildfires. We are thrilled to take part in this event with fellow innovators to present the next generation of Canadian technology and initiate future collaboration with industry and government.”
Katrina Albert, Co-founder and President, Lux (Alma, Quebec)
“Area X.O is an ideal environment for R&D. We can literally take ground robots and drones that are under development out the back door and test them rigorously without having to travel anywhere. We have tens of millions of dollars in technology, capabilities, and expertise right at our fingertips. This was a key driver to our expansion here in Canada’s Capital. Our engineers also find that the opportunity to work at Area X.O – and in a global technology hub – fuels their creativity, passion, and focus. TCXpo brings all these strengths to bear on InDro Robotics, and more than 50 companies from across the country.”
Philip Reece, CEO, InDro Robotics (Ottawa, Ontario and Vancouver, BC)
Backgrounder: Featured Area X.O Founding Partner Quotes
“Area X.O is one of the most technically integrated facilities of its kind, providing an ability for innovators, ecosystem partners, and government to collaborate and develop solutions for our future. As a founding partner and active member of Area X.O, we look forward to continuing to support initiatives that leverage 5G and drive more innovative, sustainable connected transportation systems. Ottawa is poised to lead Canada’s future autonomous vehicle, smart city, and connected infrastructure solution efforts and we’re excited to be part of the journey.”)
David Telka, Managing Director, Strategy and Consulting, Accenture
“As one of the founding partners of Area X.O, events like TCXpo enable us to showcase the important work we’ve undertaken on-site with a view to further refining our broad portfolio of innovative automotive software solutions that solve real-world transportation industry issues and address key pain points of the OEMs. With automakers grappling with complex multi-tiered software supply chains and growing cybersecurity threats, we look forward to highlighting how products such as our Security Credential Management System (SCMS) service and BlackBerry Jarvis help to put trust at the core of both smart cities and connected vehicles alike, something which is absolutely critical for our industry to reach its full potential.”
Grant Courville, VP, Products and Strategy at BlackBerry QNX
“The City of Ottawa has been an active contributor to Area X.O since its inception. We have been pleased to collaborate on several ground-breaking and first-of-their-kind projects with Area X.O and Transport Canada. It is so valuable to have a facility such as Area X.O in the heart of the nation’s capital, close to policy leaders, decision-makers, and world-class technology companies. This has allowed us to leverage local knowledge and continue to drive innovative solutions in-house. This puts the City of Ottawa at the forefront of the connected and automated vehicle domain alongside industry, as showcased here at TCXpo. We are taking advantage of the R&D and new technologies developed at Area X.O to better position our city and citizens for the future and drive the needle globally.”
Philippe Landry, Director of Traffic Services, City of Ottawa
“We are excited to take part in this inaugural TCXpo, alongside all our world-class partners from Area X.O, Invest Ottawa and the Government of Canada. Area X.O. brings together the best of Ottawa’s telecom and cybersecurity strengths as a global tech hub and we’re proud to contribute our capabilities and expertise as we collectively showcase next-generation smart mobility, and connectivity technologies at our track today.”
Marcos Cavaletti, Sr. Advisor and Head of Ottawa Site, Ericsson
“As a founding partner of Area X.O, we continue to see innovation that will deliver real impact, from the Mobile Command Centre for improving remote and disconnected response capabilities to agritech innovations, including Azure FarmBeats, that are becoming part of the solution towards solving world food supply. The technology solutions coming out of Area X.O demonstrate Canada’s talent, competitiveness and leadership in the global digital economy.”
Lisa Carroll, Public Sector Lead, Microsoft Canada
“We continue to support Area X.O. and Invest Ottawa in our collective mission to drive growth for Canada. We look forward to continuing to showcase Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, our industrial grade 5G private wireless network and how together with our partners, these technologies can make an impact on people and communities.”
Shawn Sparling, Vice President of Enterprise and Public Sector, Nokia Canada
“We are grateful for the Government of Ontario’s continued leadership and support for innovation in the automotive and mobility sector. Ontario and its companies are supplying the world with the technology that will shape the future movement of people and goods. Through OVIN, the government is ensuring that Ontario continues to lead the future of the industry by helping businesses develop Ontario’s EV supply chain, including critical mineral refining, downstream battery cell design and EV powertrain, manufacturing, and other related EV technologies.”
Raed Kadri, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Business Development and Head of Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
Area X.O Sponsor Quotes
“FCC is proud to be a founding sponsor of Area X.O and the Ottawa Smart Farm. This R&D complex is driving critical progress on our shared goals, and helping producers put data to work to increase their productivity, profitability, and competitiveness. This is underscored by TCXpo, a one-of-a-kind national event. I’m excited to be a part of it, alongside some great panelists and demonstrations. The Ottawa Smart Farm live demos will allow us to showcase another critical building block in the future Canadian advantage in digital agriculture.”
Fred Wall, Vice President, Marketing and Digital Agriculture
“As a key partner of Invest Ottawa and Area X.O, we remain steadfastly committed to innovation. By bridging the digital divide, Rogers is proud to be part of the technology ecosystem that provides communities and businesses across Canada the tools they need to thrive.”
Ted Woodhead, Chief Regulatory Officer, Government Relations & Regional President of Eastern Ontario
“Our law firm strives to make positive change. This is one of the many reasons we are thrilled to be supporters of Area X.O, Ottawa’s R&D complex that enables and accelerates the safe development, testing, and adoption of next-gen smart mobility, autonomy, and connectivity technologies. We are especially excited to be a part of the inaugural TCXpo. This national demonstration day will enable startups, SMEs, multinationals, and governments to showcase their solutions to prospective customers, investors, and partners. It is an impressive example of Canadian ingenuity and collaboration that will help drive the development of technology solutions for the world.”
Naomi Morisawa De Koven, Managing Lawyer of MDK Business Law
Lead TCXpo Sponsor
“As the lead sponsor of TCXpo, Ansys is honored to participate and showcase autonomous vehicle design powered by Ansys software. As vehicle systems become increasingly complex, testing under realistic conditions becomes even more critical. Ansys technologies improve and expedite ADAS and AV development and delivery while helping reduce accidents on the road thanks to improved safety and reliability.”
Prith Banerjee, Chief Technology Officer, Ansys
About Area X.O
Area X.O is the R&D complex in Canada’s Capital that enables and accelerates the safe and secure development, testing, and adoption of next-generation smart mobility, autonomy, and connectivity technologies. A Regional Technology Development Site (RTDS) in the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Area X.O helps startups, SMEs, multinationals, and governments address grand challenges and opportunities, and get to market faster. Combining diverse expertise with Ottawa’s telecom and cybersecurity strengths as a global tech hub and operating one of the most advanced communications infrastructures in the world, it is the only all-weather R&D complex of its kind in North America with a private and public Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) test facility on city streets that fuels the creation, commercialization, and adoption of breakthrough smart mobility innovations. These applications benefit our community, economy, and environment, and span: telecom, smart agriculture, defence, security, and public safety; unmanned aerial vehicles, and smart cities. Established and managed by Invest Ottawa, Area X.O leverages critical support from world-class founding partners, including: the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Ottawa, Accenture, BlackBerry QNX, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, and Ottawa’s post-secondary institutions. For additional information, please visit: www.AreaXO.com
About Invest Ottawa
Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada’s Capital, facilitating economic growth and job creation in Ottawa. Guided by a vision to help realize Ottawa’s full potential as a globally recognized, innovative, inclusive, and future-ready city, Invest Ottawa delivers venture development, global expansion and talent programs and services that catalyze the growth and success of entrepreneurs and firms. These include small business training, mentorship, acceleration for technology firms, foreign business and investment attraction, local business retention and expansion in targeted sectors, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. Invest Ottawa is also the manager of Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub and one-stop business acceleration shop; and founder and operator of Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration. Since 2012, Invest Ottawa has worked with thousands of startups, scale-ups, and SMEs; helped firms to attract more than $992 million in capital; contributed to the creation of more than 11,178 jobs; and attracted more than $1 billion in domestic and Foreign Direct Investment. Explore Invest Ottawa’s 2021 Economic Impact Report at: https://bit.ly/3mbuOyL
About Transport Canada (TC)
Transport Canada (TC) is responsible for developing and overseeing the Government of Canada’s transportation policies and programs so that Canadians can have access to a transportation system that is:
TC works towards these objectives by:
About Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC)
Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) is an ISED program for Canadian innovators who want to start or grow their business and get their innovations to market. It provides funding for research and development and for prototypes to be tested in an operational setting.
Media Contact
Sonya Shorey
Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards
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