Meta's AI hub in Canada to use 800K homes' power

Published 11 July 2026 · tech

The data center will consume electricity equal to 800,000 homes Live Events Meta's first Canada AI data center will be built in Alberta Why Meta

The data center will consume electricity equal to 800,000 homes Live Events Meta's first Canada AI data center will be built in Alberta Why Meta chose Alberta for its massive AI project Meta partners with Pembina Pipeline for power supply Why AI companies are racing to build more data centers A major milestone for Meta's global AI expansion as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Meta has announced plans to build its first-ever data center in Canada, marking one of the company's biggest international investments as the race to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure accelerates.The tech giant said it will invest C$13 billion ($9.17 billion) to develop a 1-gigawatt AI data center in Sturgeon County, Alberta. Once operational, the facility is expected to consume roughly the same amount of electricity as 800,000 homes, highlighting the enormous energy demands of next-generation AI systems, according to a report in Reuters. The Alberta project will become Meta's 33rd data center globally and its first in Canada.One of the most striking aspects of the announcement is the facility's expected energy demand.Meta said the new AI data center will require enough electricity to power the equivalent of 800,000 homes.

Gary Demasi, Meta's vice president for data center development, said the company plans to offset the facility's massive electricity consumption by investing in clean and renewable energy projects.He added that the data center will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system, which is designed to minimize water consumption. According to Demasi, the facility is expected to use less water than a typical golf course.The announcement was made in Calgary alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial officials, who have spent years encouraging major technology companies to invest in the province.For Alberta, the project represents one of the largest technology investments in its history, while for Meta it is another step in its aggressive AI expansion strategy.The company has already committed hundreds of billions of dollars toward building AI infrastructure, particularly in the United States, and is now expanding that footprint into Canada.Alberta's ⁠technology minister, Nate Glubish, told reporters there are currently several other gigawatt-scale data center proposals in various stages of development in the province. "This is the first of its kind, the first of its size, the first of its scale, but it won't be the last," Glubish said.Several factors made Alberta an attractive destination for Meta's latest AI investment.