Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her province and Quebec can play a key role in helping democratic nations win the artificial intelligence (AI) race against Beijing by partnering to build data centres in Quebec powered by natural gas from Alberta.
Smith made the remarks on Oct. 6 in Montreal during a fireside chat with Isabelle Dessureault, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. Smith was asked by Dessureault how Alberta and Quebec could collaborate to strengthen Canada’s digital sovereignty and AI capacity in the context of defence and national security.
The premier said the AI race is moving quickly, with China building “massive coal plants on spec, knowing they will need the power to power AI data centres.” She said Quebec could avoid waiting “10 or 20 years” for new hydro or nuclear plants by using Alberta natural gas to help set up data centres in under five years, and later expand them using other energy sources if desired….