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Or sign-in if you have an account.As the AI buildout continues, U.S. chipmakers are looking for new ways to build more advanced chips while many Big Tech companies are now trying to make their own chips in-house to cut costs. Photo by William Potter/Getty ImagesCanadian small and mid-sized businesses focused on the semiconductor industry say the United States’ artificial intelligence boom is creating opportunities too good to pass up despite ongoing trade uncertainties and geopolitical friction between the two countries.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBig Tech investment in AI infrastructure will exceed US$700 billion this year, according to the financial statements of Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft Corp., while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates that tech’s AI spending will surpass US$5 trillion by 2030.But Jerry Zhai, founder and chief executive of Toronto-based MaxEpic Inc., said no one company is able to offer an all-encompassing solution, which creates opportunities for Canadian companies.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againHe said MaxEpic’s potential business pipeline and revenue for its energy-efficient devices — chiplets that reduce power consumption for AI systems — have “expanded significantly” over the past few years.Zhai said any hike in U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods wouldn’t directly affect his company because it licenses its tech to chipmakers and major tech platforms, but he has adjusted his strategy over the past 18 months to onshore manufacturing work from Asia to the U.S. to mitigate potential tariff-related turbulence.Mani Sethi, chief executive of Brampton-based Advanced Micro Consulting Inc., which offers chip design and consulting services for semiconductor and technology companies, said business slowed down in early 2025 as companies scrambled to determine how U.S. president Donald Trump’s trade war would impact them, but it bounced back and is now booming.“It doesn’t matter now what Trump is doing,” he said. “Demand is through the roof because of AI.”As the AI buildout continues, U.S. chipmakers are looking for new ways to build more advanced chips while many Big Tech companies are now trying to make their own chips in-house to cut costs and curb their reliance on Nvidia Corp.“They are all trying to create something very fast, very efficient and very cost-effective,” Sethi said.That has helped Canadian businesses such as his, which he said has scored contracts with the likes of Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Marvell Technology Inc. in recent years and has pivoted from developing small software solutions for Canadian startups to providing wholesale AI chip design services.“We’re gearing more toward the U.S. customers because they have the bigger companies and longer projects,” he said. “It’s not that I would refuse a Canadian client; it’s just that there’s so much happening with AI now and Canadian companies and their contracts are on the smaller side.”George Xereas, founder and chief executive of Stathera Inc., which makes silicon timing components used in central processing units and graphics processing units that power everything from laptops to AI data centres, said the company continuing to monitor U.S. tariffs and think about manufacturing contingency plans as its business matures.The components it produces, known as microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems, are made in Canada and Asia, but selling them to the U.S. remains its only focus. for now. Stathera raised US$55 million in June to expand its manufacturing and open an office in the Bay Area.“There is no other market right now that is anywhere close in terms of their investment and scale,” he said.Last month, 13 Canadian companies, including AMCI and MaxEpic, travelled to Oregon on a semiconductor-focused trade mission, meeting with U.S. chip giants including Intel Corp. and chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. to help set the stage for future collaboration.“There remains a lot of will to collaborate and the feeling that we should work together more, not less, at the company-to-company level,” said Francis Yuen, founder and chief executive of Calgary-based Baseband Technologies Inc., which has developed an energy-efficient global positioning system device for chips that could be used to track the location of AI graphics processing units.Zhai said however trade talks pan out between Ottawa and Washington, “we’re going to continue to keep talking to the U.S. and keep exploring this industry on the U.S. side.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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