In a memo for advocacy group Build Canada, Cohere co-founder Ivan Zhang said Ottawa should provide an additional $350 million in funding to its Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) and transfer it to a private entity that can raise capital from private investors. Under his proposal, the federal government would keep a stake and set rules to ensure Canadian control of the facility. (The Logic)

Talking point: As The Logic reported last month, tech executives have increasingly been pushing for a spinout of the CPFC, currently run by the National Research Council. It’s one of only three independent facilities in the world that manufacture the compound semiconductors used in the photonics that move information around data centres. Zhang and others argue the plant could capitalize on AI-driven demand for that hardware, but only if it can expand and attract private investment. “Canada has a unique opportunity to become part of the global photonics supply chain,” he wrote.