Meta to build $13 billion data centre in Alberta, largest outside the U.S.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Meta's vice-president of Data Centres, Gary Demasi, announced Wednesday that the tech giant will spend $13 billion to construct a new data center in Sturgeon County, north of Edmonton. Smith hailed the project as “one of the largest private sector investment in Canadian history.”

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one of the largest private sector investment in Canadian history

Meta claims the facility will employ 3,000 people during peak construction and create approximately 300 full-time jobs once operational. The Alberta government anticipates generating about $250 million annually in royalties, taxes, levies, and fees. Additionally, Meta is investing $60 million in local infrastructure, and the province expects a six percent reduction in the transmission portion of electricity bills due to a related natural gas power generation facility.

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Meta is also investing approximately $60 million in local infrastructure improvements, including roads and water infrastructure

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, plans to build the data center in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. The company states the data center will feature a closed-loop water cooling system, avoiding drawing water from the surrounding area.

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Meta claims its data centre will feature a closed-loop water cooling system so it won’t draw water from the surrounding area

However, the rapid growth of AI has spurred proposals for massive data centers across Canada, prompting pushback from environmental advocates. Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, called for a moratorium on "megadata centres" until environmental and human rights protections are legislated for AI. He expressed concern that "billionaires trying to steal our water and pollute the air so they can double our electricity while taking away our jobs."

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We’re seeing these kinds of promises made all by AI data centre proponents around the world, but the reality is that these are billionaires trying to steal our water and pollute the air so they can double our electricity while taking away our jobs.