Meta to Build First Canadian AI Data Center in Alberta With $9.17 Billion Investment

Meta has announced plans to invest approximately $9.17 billion to build its first artificial intelligence data center in Canada, marking one of the country’s largest private sector technology investments. The new facility will be located in Sturgeon County, Alberta, as the company accelerates its global expansion of AI computing infrastructure to support growing demand for advanced artificial intelligence services.

The project represents Meta’s first Canadian data center and its 33rd worldwide. Company executives unveiled the investment alongside Alberta government officials, who have spent several years positioning the province as a destination for hyperscale AI infrastructure. The development reflects intensifying competition among major technology companies to secure computing capacity for next generation AI models.

Powering the AI expansion

The Alberta campus will initially operate at approximately one gigawatt of capacity, with the potential to expand further in the future. Key features of the project include:

• A total investment of about C$13 billion, equivalent to roughly $9.17 billion.
• Construction in Sturgeon County, north of Edmonton.
• New power generation and grid infrastructure funded by Meta.
• A closed loop cooling system designed to reduce water consumption.
• Approximately 3,000 construction jobs at peak activity and more than 300 permanent positions after operations begin.

Meta also plans to invest roughly C$60 million in local road and water infrastructure to support the development.

Economic opportunity and environmental debate

Alberta has actively promoted itself as an AI infrastructure hub by leveraging its abundant natural gas resources, cooler climate, and policies that require large data center operators to secure or build their own electricity supply. Under this model, Meta will rely on a combination of new power generation and grid infrastructure, including electricity from a planned natural gas facility.

The announcement is expected to strengthen Alberta’s technology sector and diversify the province’s economy beyond traditional energy industries. However, environmental organizations have raised concerns about the project’s reliance on natural gas and the broader environmental impact of rapidly expanding AI infrastructure.

Meta says the facility will incorporate water efficient cooling technology and continue supporting renewable energy investments to help offset its growing electricity demand. The Alberta project underscores the company’s broader strategy to invest heavily in AI infrastructure as competition intensifies across the technology sector.