Digital transformation opportunities set to drive economic boost for Calgary

With $18.4 billion (CAD) in digital transformation spending in the province of Alberta projected to be led by Calgary companies through 2022, the Western Canadian city is a fast-growing destination for entrepreneurs and tech talent alike.

An hour and a half flight from Seattle and just over a two-hour flight from San Francisco, Calgary has a high concentration of corporate headquarters that call the city home. Companies working in the energy, logistics, creative industries, and life sciences are set to invest the most in digital transformation (DX), and the most rapid adopters of DX will be agribusiness and manufacturing.
A study, Digital Transformation (DX) of Calgary Industries, conducted by Calgary Economic Development with International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada, highlighted the tremendous economic transformation that DX will drive for the city.
It is important to take a close look at the upcoming opportunities that DX will bring, so the city can be better prepared to seize those opportunities, says Mary Moran President and Chief Executive Officer, Calgary Economic Development.
“We wanted to quantify the digital spend for the key engines of growth and innovation to ensure companies and top talent realize the scope of opportunity we have in this city to take on global challenges,” says Moran. “We intend to be disruptors in the new economy – not the disrupted.”
The city is looking to build upon its deep history of applied technology and its entrepreneurial spirit to meet the global demand for DX – for that, it’s looking for the best tech talent out there.

Deep DX roots

Calgary has a long history with the energy and telecommunications industries where business intelligence solutions have transformed operations, enabling companies to collect and analyze massive amounts of data to drive timely and informed decision making. It has fostered a culture of investing in technology and committing to digital transformation, especially for companies in business-to-business markets, which has not gone unnoticed by global enablers of DX.
IBM has based its Natural Resources Solution Centre in the city, which enables companies to utilize Watson for its artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities in their operations. Hexagon’s Autonomy and Positioning division also operates out of Calgary, working with clients not only in energy, but also agriculture, transportation, and defense.
It’s no surprise that many of Calgary’s successful technology companies have created solutions to drive digital transformation for a multitude of other industries. Among them:

• Attabotics, the 3D robotics company enabling the automation of warehousing and order fulfillment.
• Decisive Farming, driving precision agriculture and farm management.
• StellarAlgo, whose data analytics platform has enabled professional sports organizations and live audience businesses to drive personalized engagement with their fans.

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