Rocky View County (RVC) is currently going through the regulatory and approval process for applicants to build data centers within RVC.
Aaron Latimer, the manager of economic development for RVC, explained why the county is looking for data center investments.
"We see the emerging technology sector and the rising global demand for Internet services and AI applications as an opportunity to diversify the sector within the county and bring in new new technology companies, new highly skilled positions, significant number of construction positions during the construction phase, and an overall benefit in concerning economic diversification."
He went on to explain what data centers are.
"The rising demand for Internet services and AI applications has resulted in the consumption and processing of an ever-increasing amount of data, and this data is stored and processed in these massive data center facilities that are filled with servers and hard drives."
Latimer explained the reason large companies might want to come to RVC for their data centers is that Alberta has an abundant supply of natural gas and capacity to produce renewable energy, and that provides a reliable power supply for these energy-intensive data centers.
"Alberta is home to some of the lowest corporate taxes in Canada, and that makes Alberta an attractive and strategic destination for the data center investment."
He explained capital investment for these projects could be anywhere between $60 billion to potentially $100 billion.
"We currently have a couple of data centers that are that are operating within the county and and then several additional ones that are proposed."
Latimer concluded by re-stating that these centers are a significant opportunity for sector diversification.
"It's a very attractive emerging sector for both Rocky View County and the province as a whole. I think it'll bring long-term benefits overall."
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