Funding8 min read

How much time and money does it take to implement AI in an SME?

What implementing AI costs a Quebec SME, how long it takes and how much ESSOR, MFOR and the RTRI can cover in 2026, based on Cogio’s published prices.

Alexandre Sauvageau, co-founder of Cogio
October 23, 2026, updated October 30, 2026

Black binders and a calculator on a white desk, seen from above — Photo: Jakub Zerdzicki, Pexels

Key takeaways

At Cogio, a diagnostic costs $5,000 to $20,000 and takes two to three weeks. A first agent in production runs $15,000 to $40,000 and a set of three to five agents, $45,000 to $85,000 before funding. These are our July 2026 reference prices.
The rollout takes from a few weeks to a few months depending on scope. The biggest driver of both time and cost is the state of your data.
ESSOR stream 1 can cover up to 50% of a project (up to $20,000 for the stream 1B diagnostic), MFOR up to 75% of training, and the RTRI up to 50% of an automation project for businesses hit by tariffs.
With an approved ESSOR and NRC IRAP package, the estimated net bill for a $45,000 to $85,000 project falls to $25,000 to $45,000. No funding is guaranteed.

Disclosure: Robin Langlois, owner of Les Industries Romy, is also a co-founder of Cogio.

The short answer

For a Quebec SME, implementing AI happens in stages, and each stage has its price and its timeline. Here are the reference figures Cogio has published since July 2026:

Reference prices published by Cogio (July 2026), before funding
Stage	Reference price	Timeline
Diagnostic and plan	$5,000 to $20,000	Two to three weeks
First agent in production	$15,000 to $40,000	A few weeks to a few months
Company brain (three to five agents, data preparation included)	$45,000 to $85,000	A few months
Inference server	$8,000 to $12,000 (one 24 GB GPU) or $25,000 to $35,000 (two professional GPUs)	Depends on delivery
Managed maintenance	$800 to $10,000 a month	Ongoing

What drives price and timeline

Two projects with the same name can differ by a factor of four. The gap almost always comes down to the same factors:

State of the data. Well-organized digital documents index quickly. Twenty years of messy network folders is a project in itself. Our data readiness self-assessment helps you place yourself.
Number of use cases. One agent entering invoices is one project. Five agents covering accounting, quotes and project tracking is another.
Integrations. Each system touched, whether Business Central, Acumatica, the CRM or email, adds days of work.
Compliance. Redaction of personal information, per-file access control, logging: essential in regulated sectors. Our Law 25 compliance support is part of it.
Hardware. Hosting on an existing server, buying a dedicated one or going through a hosting provider in your region changes the upfront budget.

How long, in practice

The diagnostic takes two to three weeks: interviews with the teams, an inventory of data and software, a price on each workflow. Before the pilot, the targeted tasks are measured for about two weeks to set a baseline.

The rollout then takes from a few weeks to a few months. A well-scoped first agent on clean data moves fast. A set of agents connected to several systems rolls out in waves, one use case at a time, so each gain is measured before going further. Our guide on how to integrate AI in your business lays out the six steps.

What funding can cover

The sticker price is not the price you pay. Several programs apply to AI projects in 2026, and our Funding page keeps them up to date.

ESSOR stream 1 (Investissement Québec). Up to 50% of a project as a non-repayable contribution: up to $50,000 for streams 1A and 1C, and $20,000 for the stream 1B diagnostic. For SMEs with 250 employees or fewer and revenue of at least $2.5M, with applications accepted until March 31, 2027.
MFOR (Services Québec). The workforce training measure can fund team training at up to 75% of eligible costs. Training staff to work alongside the agents qualifies.
RTRI (Canada Economic Development). For businesses hit by tariffs: an automation project funded at 50%, up to $1M non-repayable, plus liquidity support of up to $2M. A project may have started up to 12 months before the application. See our article on the RTRI.
NRC IRAP and tax credits. NRC IRAP funds part of R&D labour costs, and the C3I credit can apply to the server (15% to 25% depending on the region).

An example of a net bill

Take a company brain at $45,000 to $85,000. With an approved ESSOR and NRC IRAP package, the estimated net bill falls to $25,000 to $45,000. That figure has to be confirmed program by program: funding is discretionary, envelopes are limited and none of it is guaranteed. Our article on stacking funding explains what combines.

Weighing cost against the gain

Cost is one of the two most cited brakes: according to Statistics Canada, 10.6% of Canadian businesses named cost as a barrier to AI in 2026, behind cybersecurity or privacy concerns (13.4%). So the right question is not “how much does it cost?” but “how many hours does it free up, and what do we do with them?”

At Les Industries Romy in Granby, management estimates that its agents free up 152 hours a week, or 7,914 hours a year, and puts the value of that time at $395,720. These are management’s estimates, not yet measured over a full year, and the time was reinvested rather than cut from payroll. The details are in the Romy case study, and our article on measuring ROI shows how to run the numbers for your business.

What if your ERP is the real obstacle?

Some SMEs discover during the diagnostic that their ERP costs more than the AI itself. Our article on ERP licence costs goes through the prices, and Cogio offers its ERP with no licence fees, with AI agents that do the data entry. For industry details, see our pages for manufacturers, law firms, healthcare and real estate, or our approach.

Frequently asked questions

How much does implementing AI cost an SME?

According to the reference prices Cogio published in July 2026: $5,000 to $20,000 for a diagnostic, $15,000 to $40,000 for a first agent and $45,000 to $85,000 for three to five agents, before funding.

How long does an AI project take?

The diagnostic takes two to three weeks. The rollout then takes from a few weeks to a few months depending on the scope of the project and the state of the data.

What share of an AI project can funding cover?

ESSOR stream 1 covers up to 50% of eligible expenses, MFOR up to 75% of training costs and the RTRI up to 50% of a refocusing project. Each program remains subject to eligibility.

Are there recurring costs after going live?

Yes: managed maintenance (monitoring, model updates, quality tracking), which Cogio offers at $800 to $10,000 a month depending on scope. Sovereign AI carries no per-user licence.

Can a project that has already started be funded?

For the RTRI, yes: a project may have started up to 12 months before the application. For other programs, check the expense eligibility date before you begin.

Sources and references

This article is a plain-language summary, accurate as of the date shown. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, consult a qualified professional.

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