Dubai’s Ahoy to hire 200 in Montréal as it relocates R&D hub

Dubai-based physical AI startup Ahoy is relocating its R&D hub to Montréal, planning to hire 200 people for research, engineering, and go-to-market roles. The company, which develops AI infrastructure for physical-world operations, will also establish its North American headquarters and a physical AI lab in the city, deepening its partnership with local AI institute Mila. Ahoy expects the expansion to create an additional 300 jobs across the ecosystem.

Middle Eastern physical AI startup Ahoy https://ahoy.technology is relocating its research and development R&D operations to Montréal and deepening its partnership with local AI research institute Mila. The news: Ahoy develops AI infrastructure designed to perceive, decide, and operate in the physical world. The Dubai-based company announced the latest on its Canadian expansion Wednesday at Startupfest, where it revealed plans to make Montréal its primary R&D hub and directly hire for 200 new research, engineering, and go-to-market roles in the city. Ahoy has also designated Montréal as its North American headquarters and the site of a physical AI lab. Ahoy expects this push, which will expand its work with Mila, to create an additional 300 jobs across the ecosystem as the startup deploys its tech through third-party consulting, engineering, and implementation firms. From the source: Ahoy founder and CEO Jamil Shinawi told BetaKit that the company chose Montréal because it houses “one of the deepest AI research talent pools in the world,” thanks to Mila and other local academic institutions. Following the thread: This week’s moves come two months after Ahoy began partnering with Mila and revealed it had inked a “nine-figure” deal to buy Wrk, a venture-backed https://betakit.com/omers-backed-wrk-wants-to-be-uber-for-office-tasks/ , Montréal-based startup that sells business process automation software. The CEO did not disclose any further terms of this acquisition, which has not yet closed. Final thought: Ahoy, which has deployed its AI within airports, utilities, and hospitals across the Middle East and North America, claims to be profitable and growing quickly, with more than $100 million USD $141 million CAD in annual recurring revenue. The physical AI firm looks to build on that progress by making broader inroads on this side of the Atlantic. Feature image courtesy Ahoy.