Meta confirms construction of Canada's first AI-focused data center, signaling hyperscaler geographic diversification beyond US.

Meta announced on Wednesday that it broke ground for a new AI computing center in Sturgeon County, Alberta, just outside Edmonton. The facility represents an investment of more than CAD $13 billion (approximately $9 billion USD) and is planned as a 1-gigawatt data center. It will be Meta's first data center in Canada and its 33rd facility worldwide.

The data center will cover 2.9 million square feet and occupy 1,750 acres. According to a Meta spokesperson, "The design of this data center gives it the ability to support the next generation of AI systems — everything from the hardware equipment and network design to the cooling systems."

Meta said the facility will use a "closed-loop, liquid-cooled system with dry cooling," designed to avoid the need for a continuous water supply for cooling. The company indicated the data center will be optimized for AI workloads and will help deliver technologies used by billions of people globally to connect, find communities, grow businesses, and experience Meta's wearables.

The project is expected to support more than 3,000 construction workers at peak and more than 300 operational jobs once completed. Meta will also invest approximately CAD $60 million (about $42 million USD) in local infrastructure improvements. Meta anticipates the facility will come online within 2 to 3 years.

Alanna Hnatiw, mayor of Sturgeon County, welcomed the development, noting it will bring jobs and "long-term tax revenue" to the region. "We're excited to work with our new neighbors as we continue to make that vision a reality," the mayor said.

The Alberta data center expands Meta's existing portfolio; the company currently operates 28 data centers in the US, including a massive campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, which is expected to be Meta's largest facility to date with a 4 million square foot footprint and more than 2 gigawatts of compute capacity.