February 2026 — Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon, has embarked on a strategic international tour aimed at strengthening the nation’s digital sovereignty and diversifying its global trade alliances. Following his participation at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Solomon is currently en route to Saudi Arabia and India to secure critical investments in Canada’s AI computing infrastructure.
Operating under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mandate to bolster economic resilience and diversify trade in the face of shifting global dynamics, Solomon’s multi-nation trip focuses on ensuring Canada remains a competitive force in the global technology landscape while keeping intellectual property firmly rooted at home.
1. Germany: Launching the Sovereign Technology Alliance
Solomon’s tour began in Germany at the 62nd Munich Security Conference. Rather than just engaging in general discussions, his visit yielded a concrete geopolitical milestone:
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The AI Joint Declaration: Alongside Karsten Wildberger, Germany’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Solomon signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Artificial Intelligence.
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Sovereign Technology Alliance: The two ministers officially launched this new alliance, designed to expand bilateral cooperation in secure compute infrastructure, AI research, and commercialization. The agreement is a deliberate step toward reducing strategic technology dependencies and building trusted international tech networks.
2. Saudi Arabia: Courting Capital for Compute
Following his success in Munich, Solomon is making a highly anticipated stop in Saudi Arabia. His objective is highly specific: securing foreign capital to build physical AI infrastructure within Canada.
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The Compute Deficit: Training and running advanced AI models requires massive data centers and hardware that Canada cannot currently fund or produce entirely on its own.
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Tapping Sovereign Wealth: Solomon is actively courting deep-pocketed state investors, such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (which recently launched a $100 billion AI sector initiative called “Humain”), to help finance Canadian data centers. The Canadian government’s strategy is to welcome foreign capital while ensuring that the resulting jobs, hardware, and intellectual property remain on Canadian soil.
3. India: The AI Impact Summit and Trade Diversification
The final leg of Solomon’s tour takes him to New Delhi, India.
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AI Impact Summit: Solomon will be representing Prime Minister Carney at the New Delhi AI Impact Summit, a premier gathering of global tech leaders.
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Broadening Trade Alliances: India represents a rapidly expanding technology landscape and a vital market for Canadian expertise. Solomon’s visit to New Delhi coincides with broader efforts by the Carney administration to thaw diplomatic relations and launch negotiations toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India, mitigating Canada’s trade reliance on the United States.
The Road Ahead
Minister Solomon’s efforts reflect a modern approach to nation-building: using government policy and international diplomacy to secure Canada’s digital future. By courting global capital to build sovereign infrastructure, Canada aims to position its domestic AI sector favorably while establishing itself as a trusted, independent digital power on the world stage.
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