EDMONTON -- The Alberta government is giving $9 million in funding to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) in an effort to promote the province's tech sector.

The funding is made up of $4 million from Alberta Innovates and $5 million through the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system.

The government says it's Investment and Growth Strategy has identified developing Alberta's technology sector as a top priority. They hope it will make way for investment and innovation in other Alberta industries including agriculture, aviation and energy.

"Our investment demonstrates that Alberta’s government recognizes the important role that Amii and the University of Alberta plays in creating a stronger economy," said Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides.

The government hopes the funding will allow Amii to continue research and make AI and machine learning primary drivers of economic growth in Alberta. This includes helping Alberta companies use the technology to find and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy and agriculture sectors.

"We have incredible potential to diversify the economy, create jobs and strengthen our communities by building on our world-class artificial intelligence and machine learning expertise," said Janet M. Riopel, presidents and CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

Amii is an Alberta-based non-profit that supports research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is one of Canada's three centres of artificial intelligence.

It also receives funding from the private sector, and has received $25 million over five years from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.​