OLDS, Alta.—Alberta’s bid to become a North American hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure is facing a major local test, as residents of the town of Olds challenge a proposed data centre campus that would rank among the world’s largest.
The AI boom has fuelled a wave of proposals for massive data centres across North America as developers seek locations with abundant energy, affordable electricity, and supportive infrastructure. Alberta has quickly become one of the industry’s top targets because of its natural gas resources, deregulated electricity market, and relatively low development costs.
On July 8, tech giant Meta announced plans to build its first Canadian data centre—a massive $13 billion facility in Sturgeon County, near Edmonton. The company said the project will create 3,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent positions once operational….