DAIR Cloud FAQs
Don’t see what you’re looking for?
For further DAIR technical support, please contact [email protected].
What does DAIR stand for?
Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research
What are the free resources that are included in DAIR?
DAIR includes:
- A hosted-in-Canada public cloud platform
- BoosterPacks: Sample code and docs to get you started in emerging technologies
- Invitations to an exclusive technical webinar series
- Invitation to the DAIR community on Slack so that you can connect with other startups and access tech support from our DAIR experts
- Access to OpenStack cloud environment for GPU access (by request only)
What happens after a year on DAIR? Where do I go?
After a year, or when you’re ready to move your product or service, the DAIR technical team can transfer ownership of your AWS DAIR account over to you. You can then utilize this AWS account like you would any other.
Who can apply?
Any Canadian startup or small or medium-size business with fewer than 500 employees is eligible to apply to DAIR.
How long can I use DAIR?
Qualified businesses can access resources for one (1) year. DAIR is intended for design, development, validation, and/or demonstration of your product or service. The DAIR Cloud Platform is not to be used as a production environment.
How do I access BoosterPacks?
BoosterPacks are included with DAIR and are available to all businesses that qualify for accessing the program (any Canadian startup or small or medium-size business with fewer than 500 employees).
Check our BoosterPack catalogue
I’m having trouble submitting an application, who can help?
Please contact [email protected].
When will I receive a response?
You should receive a response within five (5) business days. If you have not heard back from us, please make sure you have clicked the final “Submit” button at the end of the proposal. If you’re still having difficulties, please contact: [email protected].
Is it possible to transfer from a commercial cloud to DAIR?
Transferring into DAIR from a public cloud is usually straightforward, although some expertise in cloud computing DevOps is required. CANARIE does not provide or perform any transfer services.
Does DAIR provide GPUs in addition to (virtual) CPUs?
Yes, GPUs (1 per tenant) are available to DAIR applicants by request. You must demonstrate that you have a specific requirement for these resources.
What type of GPUs does DAIR have?
New details coming soon.
What virtualization technologies does DAIR use?
DAIR private cloud (vGPUs) uses OpenStack, with KVM as the hypervisor. Any Instance in AWS EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, etc. uses one of two types of virtualization: paravirtual (PV) or hardware virtual machine (HVM).
Can I request access to extra resources?
DAIR has moved to a fixed monthly spend allowance for each tenant. You have the flexibility to use as much cloud resources as you wish while operating within your monthly allowance. If your allowance is reached before the end of a cycle, your instances will be temporarily suspended until the start of the next cycle. Underspend from one month cannot be carried over into future months. OpenStack GPUs are excluded from the monthly allowance (since they are hosted in CANARIE’s private cloud) and may be run up to 100% capacity.
How do I make a payment?
DAIR is a free service designed to help Canadian entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses accelerate their time to market and their learning of emerging technologies, while benefitting from the efficiencies and agility of cloud computing. As such, approved applicants are not required to make any payments to CANARIE.