Calian and Cohere Partner to Bring Sovereign AI to Defence Industry

May 28, 2026

Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) and Cohere, the world’s leading sovereign AI company, today announced a collaboration agreement to evaluate and integrate sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) in defence environments. The initiative will focus on applying secure, Canadian-developed enterprise AI to improve decision-making speed, enhance training outcomes and strengthen operational readiness for the Canadian military, allied forces and small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) through Calian VENTURES.

The collaboration will apply Cohere‘s secure agentic AI platform, North, within controlled defence environments to explore how sovereign AI can support faster, higher quality operational and training insights. By combining Cohere’s enterprise-grade generative AI capabilities with Calian’s expertise in defence operational readiness and next-gen training, the organizations will collectively assess how AI enhances mission planning, decision support, training effectiveness and operational workflows.

“Defence and security teams need AI they can trust, especially in sovereign, mission-critical defence environments,” said Dave Ferris, Vice President, Global Public Sector, Cohere. “Together, we're pairing our industry-leading AI platform and models with Calian’s deep defence expertise to move beyond evaluation into real-world use, working through data sensitivity, scalability and adoption to enable defence forces to operate with greater operational clarity, precision and tempo.”

The initiative will extend opportunities through Calian VENTURES, enabling Canadian SMEs and partners to access and evaluate AI capabilities—supporting innovation, accelerating adoption and strengthening Canada’s sovereign intellectual property and defence industrial base.

“This collaboration reflects how trusted AI can be integrated into defence environments in a practical and scalable way,” said Chris Pogue, President, Defence and Space, Calian. “By combining Cohere’s best-in-class AI capabilities with Calian’s expertise in operational readiness training and mission support, we are helping organizations improve decision-making, accelerate learning and enhance preparedness for complex operational environments.”

As demand increases for secure, sovereign AI across defence and government, the collaboration positions Calian and Cohere to advance practical, interoperable solutions that support Canada’s defence capabilities, support allied readiness and reinforce sovereign-innovation.

Source : Calian Group