Fueling Canada's Data and AI Revolution

Looking back at my five months at Databricks, I’m filled with pride and excitement for what we are building here in Canada. The energy and pace of innovation in our country's tech landscape are truly inspiring, and I’m thrilled to share that Databricks is not just a participant but a key driver of this transformation. Our momentum is about more than just numbers; it’s about a deep, foundational investment in Canada's data and AI future.

From empowering the next generation of AI leaders to achieving the highest standards of security for our public sector, we are building something special. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished together.

Setting the Gold Standard for Security: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Medium

I am incredibly proud to announce a milestone that has been two years in the making. Databricks on AWS and Azure Databricks have been assessed for compliance with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Medium Cloud Profile requirements, also known as Protected B.

This is a monumental achievement for our team and, more importantly, for our customers. This certification unlocks the full potential of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform for Canadian public sector organizations and federally regulated industries. It provides the assurance that they can now analyze their most sensitive data and build transformative AI solutions on a secure, trusted, and compliant platform. This accomplishment underscores our unwavering commitment to meeting the specific and stringent needs of the Canadian market.

Investing in People and Innovation: The Vancouver Development Center is Open!

World-class innovation requires world-class talent. That’s why we are so excited to have officially opened the doors to our new Databricks Vancouver Development Center in September. We are actively hiring the best and brightest minds to help solve some of the most complex challenges in data and AI, right here in Canada.

This isn’t just another office; it's a hub of creativity that will be at the forefront of global product development. The Vancouver team is charged with leading several critical initiatives:

• AI/BI: Defining a new category at the intersection of generative AI and business intelligence. We're building the future of how organizations get insights, from rich dashboarding to powerful  “talk-to-your-data" solutions.
• Petabyte-scale Real-time Analytics: Engineering the next generation of observability infrastructure to help customers analyze massive log datasets in real time for critical tasks like threat detection and incident resolution.
• Unity Catalog Business Semantics: Solving the foundational problem of giving AI the business context it needs to be truly effective, ensuring questions are answered consistently and accurately across an organization.
• Databricks Apps: Building the secure platform and AI-powered tools that empower anyone to create and deploy data and AI applications, a product already used by over 2,500 customers.

This investment in Canadian R&D is a testament to the incredible pool of talent we have in this country.

Growing Together: Our Thriving Ecosystem of Customers and Partners

Our Canadian operations have achieved exceptional market results this past year, driven by strategic investments in both our team and our partner ecosystem. To support a rapidly expanding customer base, we grew our Canadian team by an impressive 30% and doubled the number of Databricks-certified professionals.

This growth is mirrored by the strength of our partnerships. Our System Integrator (SI) ecosystem expanded by 40% year-over-year. This success is further underscored by leading Global Service Integrators, including Slalom, Accenture, Deloitte, and EY, who are establishing dedicated Canadian Databricks Centers of Excellence.

Empowering the Next Generation of AI Leaders

To sustain this momentum, we must invest in the future. I'm passionate about our commitment to education and our work to democratize data and AI skills for everyone.

We have partnered with over 45 Canadian universities and colleges from coast to coast, offering free training, curriculum, and certifications. We’re providing students with the tools and expertise they need to become the next generation of data scientists, engineers, and AI pioneers.

Furthering this mission, we launched Databricks Free Edition this year. This gives students, professionals, and anyone curious about data and AI the ability to learn and experiment with the same unified platform used by millions of professionals worldwide.

The Journey Ahead

On October 29th, we’ll be hosting over 1500 attendees at our largest Databricks event in the country, Data + AI World Tour Toronto. The day will bring together the brightest minds to collaborate, share insights, and push the boundaries of what's possible.

Data + AI World Tour Toronto underscores our commitment to our Canadian tech ecosystem and we're honored to have industry leaders from iconic Canadian companies joining us. Their presence highlights the critical role the Databricks Platform plays in driving business value and transformation within Canada's most important sectors. I invite you to join us.

Our momentum in Canada is undeniable. From achieving the critical Protected B certification to opening a new development hub in Vancouver and investing deeply in our community, Databricks is all-in on Canada.

We are building a future where every Canadian organization can harness data intelligence to drive innovation. I am incredibly grateful to our customers, partners, and our Bricksters for making this possible, and we’re only just getting started.