Meta to Build $9.1 Billion AI Data Centre in Canada, Its Largest Outside the U.S.
Meta has announced plans to invest more than US$9.1 billion (C$13 billion) in its first Canadian data centre, a massive artificial intelligence facility that will become the company's largest AI infrastructure project outside the United States.
The project will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, where the company says the new one-gigawatt Sturgeon Data Centrewill support Meta's growing AI and cloud computing operations while creating more than 3,000 construction jobs and over 300 permanent positions once completed.
Alberta officials welcomed the investment, describing it as a major boost to the province's ambition of becoming a North American hub for AI infrastructure. The Canadian government's push to attract hyperscale data centres has been driven by rising global demand for computing capacity needed to train and deploy advanced AI models.
To power the facility, Meta has partnered with the , a 932-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant being developed by Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management. The plant is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2030.
Meta said the data centre will feature a water-efficient closed-loop cooling system, eliminating operational water use within the cooling process while helping reduce pressure on local water resources.
The company also plans to invest approximately C$60 million in roads, water infrastructure and other community improvements surrounding the site. Environmental sustainability remains a key element of the project's design.
Despite those commitments, the announcement has renewed debate over the growing energy demands of AI infrastructure. The facility is expected to consume roughly as much electricity as 800,000 homes, prompting concerns from environmental groups about grid capacity and carbon emissions associated with natural gas-powered generation.
Meta said it will fund the new power generation and related grid infrastructure required for the project while continuing its broader commitment to match the facility's electricity consumption with clean energy investments over time.
The Alberta development represents Meta's 33rd global data centre and underscores the intensifying race among major technology companies to build the infrastructure needed for next-generation artificial intelligence as demand for AI computing continues to surge worldwide.