InnerSpeech Uses Cloud Technology to Interpret Brain Signals

Innerspeech is a promising startup that combines advanced machine learning, neuroscience, and linguistics to address a deeply personal issue. Founded and led by Kenneth Wang Yau Li, the company was born from Li’s observation of his grandparents struggling to communicate after suffering strokes, which often result in language disorders known as aphasia. This personal experience fueled Li's desire to create a solution to help patients and their families regain communication abilities.

Unlike companies such as Neuralink, which rely on invasive brain probes, Innerspeech is focused on a non-invasive approach that utilizes AI-powered software to decode "inner speech" or raw brain signals and translate them into text. The development of this technology requires substantial computational resources and expertise, leading Innerspeech to seek a cloud provider that could offer the necessary flexibility, security, and power for their research.

Through its affiliation with the innovation hub Communitech, Innerspeech connected with OVHcloud, a European-based cloud provider that has established operations in Canada. Germain Masse, OVHcloud’s Product Marketing Manager for AI and Data, emphasizes that successful AI startups depend heavily on robust infrastructure, which includes access to sufficient resources such as memory, storage, and compute power.

Understanding the financial constraints faced by early-stage startups, OVHcloud offers a Startup Program that provides up to $140,000 CAD in cloud credits for eligible companies. This funding covers essential cloud services, including databases, storage, and GPU compute products, all of which are crucial for developing AI technologies. The program aims to create a risk-free environment where entrepreneurs can experiment and innovate without the burden of high costs.

OVHcloud's Startup Program goes beyond just financial assistance; it also offers personalized mentoring and direct support from cloud experts. This hands-on approach allows startups like Innerspeech to optimize their cloud architecture and manage costs effectively, reducing the likelihood of unexpected expenses that can arise from using other cloud services. For Innerspeech, the cost-effectiveness of OVHcloud's offerings has been significant. Li noted that the specific GPU requirements for their project would have been prohibitively expensive with other providers. OVHcloud's ability to meet these technical needs at a competitive price has been instrumental in their progress.

In addition to financial and technical support, OVHcloud places an emphasis on transparency and sustainability. The program encourages startups to monitor their cloud usage to avoid unforeseen charges, and it provides tools like a carbon calculator to help users understand the environmental impact of their cloud operations. This focus on sustainability is particularly important in light of the resource-intensive nature of AI technologies. Importantly, participants in OVHcloud's Startup Program are not locked into its services, allowing them the freedom to pivot or change their cloud strategies as needed. This flexibility is vital for startups that may need to adapt their technology or business model during their development journey.

As Innerspeech progresses, the startup has already made remarkable strides, achieving a significant reduction in the word error rate for its brain-computer speech interface technology. Currently ranked seventh in the 2024 Brain-to-Text Benchmark, Innerspeech aims to further improve its accuracy and is preparing for patient testing later this year. Li sees OVHcloud as a potential long-term partner to support the growing computational demands of their technology.

Overall, Innerspeech's journey illustrates how effective collaboration with supportive infrastructure providers like OVHcloud can empower startups to innovate and tackle critical challenges. Guez believes that Innerspeech exemplifies the kind of high-tech startups that can thrive with the right resources, and OVHcloud is committed to helping the Canadian tech ecosystem succeed by providing the foundation necessary for scaling innovative solutions.