^{One of seven stages at Upper Bound 2025}

This month, a select group of energy professionals will step away from their daily operations to attend Upper Bound: a four-day immersion into the heart of Canada’s AI ecosystem.

By attending Upper Bound—a global AI conference produced by Amii, one of Canada's national AI institutes—they gain a front row seat to what’s next in AI and energy. As recipients of Amii’s AI Pathways Talent Bursary, they will go beyond online training with a dedicated setting to translate AI theory into industrial reality. Through the conference’s distinct Energy and Environment theme, they will have unfiltered access to researchers and industry leaders actively defining the future of Canadian energy and the role of AI in this sector.

Bound to Inspire What’s Next in AI

Now in its fifth year, Upper Bound uniquely brings a humanistic and optimistic lens to AI, focusing on what the entire AI ecosystem can achieve together. The conference balances technical insights with the space to connect and build lasting professional relationships. As Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) prepares to host more than 8,000 attendees in Edmonton on May 19-22, the conference stands as the definitive gathering for professionals navigating the intersection of world-class AI research, business adoption, literacy, and critical AI talent development.

Featuring over 200 sessions and 20 specialized themes, Upper Bound delivers actionable insights across all levels of expertise. The Energy and Environment theme explores how AI can address challenges related to climate change, optimize resource management, and accelerate the shift to a low-carbon future. Sponsored by Enerva Energy Solutions Inc., a leader in energy efficiency and decarbonization, these sessions ensure Canada’s most vital industry remains competitive in an increasingly AI-driven global market.

“Sponsoring the Energy and Environment theme at Upper Bound allows Enerva to bridge the gap between research application, moving production-ready AI to the critical intersection of energy and the environment. We are committed to driving energy productivity improvements to fuel economic growth and enhance Canada’s industrial competitiveness.” - Parminder Sandhu, CEO, Enerva Energy Solutions.

The primary value of being in the room lies in the exchange of technical intelligence. Attendees will find themselves engaging in direct conversations with industry leaders and the architects of modern AI—leveraging the unique access provided by Amii’s position as a global leader in AI research.

“Upper Bound is a rare opportunity to step out of the office and into a vibrant, high-impact atmosphere with a community of future-ready energy leaders and the brightest minds in AI. This is where the next decade of industrial leadership takes shape, ensuring Canadian energy remains efficient, resilient, and globally competitive.” - Marlene McNaughton, Amii’s Chief Revenue Officer

Sessions will address the critical tension between escalating AI compute demands and grid reliability, alongside deep-dives into the technical breakthroughs currently reshaping the global industrial landscape. Attendees will gain a practical framework for operationalizing AI—accelerating renewable deployment, optimizing resource and infrastructure efficiency, and de-risking energy system development. The conference also includes strategic networking sessions to foster industry collaborations needed to move these solutions forward.

A $10.4 Million Investment in Human Capital

Attending Upper Bound is a core pillar of a larger national initiative to establish Canada as the home to the world’s most AI-literate energy workforce.

The AI Pathways: Energizing Canada’s Energy Workers program is a fully funded initiative to empower nearly 6,000 energy workers with the technical fluency required to not only stay competitive but be ready to lead the way forward. Supported by a $10.4 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP), the program provides energy professionals with the technical fluency necessary to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. 

The initiative offers two specialized development streams: the Foundations Track, which establishes AI and machine learning literacy tailored to Canadian energy, and the Technical Track, designed for those with Python experience to master machine learning concepts and accelerate scalable deployment. As part of the program, they’ll also have the opportunity to apply for an exclusive Talent Bursary to attend Upper Bound, where they’ll move beyond online training and into an immersive environment with specialized energy programming.

^{Testimonial from AI Pathways learner}

Since launching in September 2025, AI Pathways has seen incredible momentum and overwhelming market demand for this type of training. The significant training impact is supported by a highly intentional approach to how professionals actually learn and retain AI skills.

Amii’s workforce development model is built on the understanding that for training to be effective, it must be accessible and applicable. Amii uses a blended learning approach proven to drive superior workplace outcomes by combining flexible online modules with the collaborative, in-person experience of Upper Bound. The data supports this strategy; a 2023 peer-reviewed meta-analysis in Computers and Education: Open (Schmid et al.) found that blended learning significantly outperforms both remote-only and traditional face-to-face instruction in technical achievement and professional self-efficacy.

This learning journey is complemented by the Technical Track Capstone Project, a self-contained “plug and play” project, allowing learners to focus onAI training using real-world and vetted data sets within existing infrastructure. By developing production-ready solutions for low-carbon energy challenges, participants gain direct skills in data preparation, feature engineering, and scalable deployment—the exact steps required to move AI from a pilot to a functional asset.

Securing Canada’s Energy Future

^{Cam Linke, Amii CEO with Josh Pantony, Co-Founder & CEO – Boosted.ai & Amii Board Member at Upper Bound 2025}

While the rest of the industry continues to evaluate the ROI of AI, this select group of energy professionals is proactively closing the readiness gap to secure a first-mover advantage in the global energy transition. Amii is committed to empowering a workforce that doesn't just react to market shifts but actively defines them, providing the definitive path for professionals and organizations to lead the next decade of Canadian energy.

To discover how Amii is shaping the future of AI, learn more about Upper Bound at upperbound.ai or explore our AI Pathways program at amii.ca/ai-pathways-energy.

The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) is one of Canada's three National AI Institutes. Based in Alberta, Amii supports world-leading research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii is dedicated to advancing leading-edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings, and providing business advice—all to bring AI out of the lab and into the world. www.amii.ca