Blame our youthful energy and optimism. Blame our future-focused attitude. Blame our investment in state-of-the-art fibre optics. Regardless of why Nova Scotia is such a tech powerhouse, you’ll find everything you need here to build a thriving tech business.
Nova Scotia has grown to become one of Canada’s prominent tech centres—a location of choice for businesses looking for top talent, a supportive ecosystem, and access to programs and support. The province has attracted major technology companies from around the globe to locate their business and technology and R&D centres. Companies including Cognizant, Avanade, Samsung, IBM, Salesforce, CGI, NTT, Lockheed Martin, Thales, and Tesla chose Nova Scotia to access the most competitive operating costs in North America, hire talented staff from our skilled workforce, leverage a host of government incentives, and tap into the highest student population in Canada.
A thriving innovation district
Halifax offers one of the most competitive climates for tech companies compared to other cities across North America, with comparative value and generous incentives including the Nova Scotia Payroll Rebate, the Digital Animation Tax Credit, and the highest Digital Media Tax Credit in Canada. The province is growing with industries including data science and artificial intelligence. This innovation is rooted in robust post-secondary research and the strength of the ecosystem that is continually pushing in these verticals.
Top-tier talent, grown right here.
Nova Scotia is developing, attracting, and retaining some of the best talent in the world because of its highly-ranked post-secondaries, high quality of life, and experienced ecosystem. With a dynamic blend of top-tier post-secondary institutions, established global companies, and a buzzing startup scene, Nova Scotia is a connected, international hub for growth and collaboration.
A promising future
One of the fastest growing tech hubs in North America, Nova Scotia’s high-quality talent pool, diverse ecosystem, high quality of life, and limitless opportunity for growth are just some of the things driving tech companies to choose our province. As Industry 4.0 transforms the landscape, technology and automation are seamlessly integrating across the province, unlocking exciting new opportunities for growth and expansion. Emerging industries like data science and artificial intelligence are flourishing, powered by cutting-edge research and a strong, evolving ecosystem. Innovation is fuelled by world-class talent and state-of-the-art facilities—Nova Scotia is shaping the future, and the world is taking notice.
FIGURES AND FACTS
Fast Facts
- Nova Scotia’s ICT sector employs over 34,000 skilled professionals.
- Halifax ranked fifth in North America's up-and-coming tech talent markets
- Nova Scotia offers more than 50% cost savings over top US tech centres average cost for operating a software development centre.
- The EXA Express transatlantic cable is the lowest latency and highest bandwidth connection available between London and New York. Nova Scotia is the central connecting hub of this network, uniquely positioning the province to take advantage of the world's best internet connections to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean
