•Meta has broken ground on its first Canadian data centre, a 1GW AI campus backed by more than C$13 billion in investment
•Meta funds power generation and grid build alongside campus, making energy part of the development
The fact
Meta has broken ground on its first Canadian data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta. The 1GW AI campus will support the company's AI workloads and core products, becoming Meta's 33rd data centre globally, with total investment exceeding C$13 billion.
Meta will fully fund the power generation and grid infrastructure needed for the campus, following planning with local utilities and the Alberta Electric System Operator. The company is also investing around C$60 million in local road and water upgrades. At peak construction, the project will support over 3,000 workers and create more than 300 permanent operational jobs once the campus enters service.
The assessment
The project treats power infrastructure as part of the data centre build rather than an external dependency. Instead of relying on existing grid capacity, Meta is funding generation and transmission alongside the campus — a model becoming common for gigawatt-scale AI deployments. For BTW readers, the grid integration angle matters: the fibre backhaul, network peering and IP connectivity that serve the campus will depend on the same physical build-out timeline as the power and cooling systems. When hyperscalers fund their own energy, the supporting network infrastructure must be coordinated with generation and construction schedules rather than procured separately.
What to watch
Watch for grid connection milestones and the timeline for the company-funded generation assets. The project's progress will show whether hyperscaler-funded power infrastructure becomes a model for future AI campus builds in Alberta and beyond.