Custom Storage Engine for Scalable AI-Driven Estimating Infrastructure

This project will focus on the development and deployment of a custom storage engine for PataBid’s Quantify platform—an AI-powered estimating solution used by construction professionals across North America. The storage engine will be purpose-built to unify all platform data into a single object store, hosted within PataBid’s proprietary clustered hyper-scale environment. It will also be designed to store all AI training data and model weights in a tightly integrated data stream to support near-online training capabilities.

The current system, which relies on GlusterFS, is no longer supported and presents scalability and performance limitations that hinder platform growth. Replacing this legacy infrastructure is critical to maintaining Quantify’s competitive advantage and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the platform as data demands continue to grow. The preferred technology foundation for this new system is CEPH, a robust and open-source distributed storage solution known for its scalability, reliability, and flexibility.

The intern will work closely with PataBid’s CEO and lead developer, Melvin Newman, to analyze infrastructure bottlenecks, evaluate storage alternatives, and design a modern object storage architecture optimized for AI/ML workloads. The project will include building and testing a working prototype, conducting performance benchmarking, simulating real-world AI workloads, and developing a data migration plan from the legacy system.

The expected outcome is the successful creation of a cloud-native storage engine that significantly enhances platform performance, enables real-time AI model training, and supports PataBid’s growth into 2026 and beyond. Additionally, this project will contribute to the development of new intellectual property and business processes, while strengthening PataBid’s self-hosted infrastructure model—an increasingly valuable alternative to third-party cloud dependency in the Canadian tech sector.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Zeinab Teimoori

Student:

Partner:

Patabid Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Thompson Rivers University

Program: