Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will invest more than $9.1 billion (8 billion) in building its first artificial intelligence data center (IA) in Canada.
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A installation, which will be the largest company outside the United States, will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta province, and powered by a natural gas plant developed by a consortium that includes the company Pembina Pipeline, based in Calgary.
The Canadian province’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, classified the project as “a big step for Alberta”, stressing that the province created a regulatory framework to attract investment in data centers.
Alberta has been trying to capture large-scale data centers at a time when the search for artificial intelligence infrastructures is growing.
However, the rapid development of the AI has raised concerns about the high electricity and water consumption of these facilities and the impact on energy networks and local communities.
As the province’s power grid does not support multiple large data centers, Alberta is prioritizing projects that guarantee its own power generation, as it plans to do the Meta.
The company stated that the data center will use a closed-circuit cooling system without resorting to local water sources, and that it will invest 42 million dollars in local infrastructure, including roads and water supply systems.
Last week, Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management announced that they would advance with the construction of a power plant in Sturgeon County, with the Meta being identified as a client.
The power plant, with a capacity of 932 megawatts, is expected to start operating in the second half of 2030.
The company reported that the project will employ more than 3,000 construction workers and will involve investments in local infrastructure as well as funding to non-profit organizations in the region.
This will be Meta’s 33rd data center and the company’s latest effort to quickly expand its infrastructure and meet the demand for AI services and infrastructures, while competing with computer giants such as Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon.