How Meta's First Canadian Date Centre Catalyses AI Progress

Meta is breaking ground on its first Canadian facility in Sturgeon County, Alberta, expanding its global infrastructure network to 33 facilities.

The CA$13bn (US$9.36bn) hyperscale campus is optimised to handle AI innovations and support core corporate products, representing a significant milestone in the infrastructure journey of the company.

The development will help bring to life technologies used by billions of people to connect, find communities, grow businesses and experience wearable devices. 

Writing on LinkedIn, Rachel Peterson, VP of Data Centres at Meta, outlines the strategy driving the expansion: "As we continue scaling Meta’s data centre fleet to meet the demands of AI, every site we add is a deliberate choice – not just about where to build, but about how we show up as a long-term partner.

“I'm excited to share that Meta is building a 1GW data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta.”

The project will generate extensive regional employment for the local community. It will support 3,000 construction workers at its peak and create more than 300 permanent operational jobs.

“We selected Sturgeon County for its access to energy and infrastructure, strong talent base and a great set of community partners committed to working with us to move this project forward,” Rachel adds.

Meeting the grid demands

Integrating a 1GW facility into the provincial power grid requires comprehensive advance planning. 

Meta collaborated closely with Greenlight Limited Partnership, AltaLink, Capital Power and the Alberta Electric System Operator to project energy demands years ahead of operation.

To ensure local consumers face no negative impacts, the tech giant pays the full costs of the energy use of its data centre. It is fully funding new power generation and grid infrastructure upgrades.

This initiative aims to improve overall reliability across the entire Alberta grid network. The facility will also match its ongoing electricity usage with 100% clean and renewable energy.

Rachel explains the framework for energy that strengthens the grid.

She says: “We're fully funding new generation and grid infrastructure in Alberta which improves the reliability for all consumers.

“We’re grateful for the partnership of Greenlight Limited Partnership, AltaLink, Capital Power and the Alberta Electric System Operator.”

Liquid cooling design advances sustainability

Resource conservation and environmental management remain a primary focus of the engineering design. Meta targets water-positive status by 2030, intending to restore more water than it consumes globally across its owned operations.

The Sturgeon County site incorporates a water-efficient, closed-loop, liquid-cooled system paired with dry cooling.

According to the company, this configuration eliminates operational water consumption within the cooling loop.

Onsite water use is restricted to domestic functions, fire protection safety and equipment maintenance.

Meta will cover all water and wastewater infrastructure service costs to ensure consumers are not negatively impacted.

The company will publish its water withdrawal data annually on its website.

Rachel says: “When it comes to water, this facility is designed with a closed-loop, liquid-cooled system, which means our annual operational water use is projected to be less than one typical golf course in the region.”

Offering long-term community support

The project framework also incorporates direct capital funding for regional municipal improvements.

Meta is investing approximately CA$60m (US$43.2m) in local infrastructure upgrades to benefit the surrounding area.

This investment focuses specifically on roads and water systems.

The company will also launch its annual Data Center Community Action Grants programme within the region this autumn to provide direct funding for local non-profit organisations.

“Our Sturgeon Data Centre will support over 3,000 construction jobs at peak and more than 300 operational jobs once online,” Rachel says. 

“I’m proud to add Canada to our global portfolio and even more proud to call Sturgeon County and Alberta home.”