Supersized data centres are coming to Canada.
A new national AI strategy by the federal government this week comes at a time when the country is confronting a wave of new high-powered data centres, while public sentiment could be souring on the impacts of the new technology.
Data centres have long been under-the-radar for many Canadians, but that’s about to change.
New research from York University points to a dramatic shift in data centres in the country: The ones being built now have 10 times the capacity of what's come before, which is driving up concerns about the land, water, and energy they consume.
Alberta is at the epicentre with available energy, incentives, and open arms by the government.
The research shows the rapid growth in the sector; active data centres have a combined capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, while all of the proposed projects would inflate that number to 13.2 gigawatts.
Meanwhile, public suspicions are growing.