Canada, Telus Announce Major AI Data Centres in B.C.

The federal government and telecommunications giant Telus announced plans Monday in Vancouver for a major artificial intelligence data centre project in British Columbia, aimed at strengthening Canada's domestic computing and AI infrastructure.

AI Minister Evan Solomon and Telus executives unveiled details of the initiative at Telus headquarters, describing it as one of the world's most powerful and sustainable AI infrastructure clusters. The project includes expanding Telus's existing data centre in Kamloops and building two new facilities in Vancouver: one in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and another in the downtown area on West Georgia Street. The Kamloops expansion and Mount Pleasant site are scheduled to open later this year, with the downtown facility coming online in 2029.

The effort forms part of a federal program launched last year to develop large-scale, sovereign AI data centres under Canadian jurisdiction. Officials stated the facilities will foster innovation by supporting collaboration between academia and industry.

Telus CEO Darren Entwistle highlighted the project's economic potential, projecting $9 billion in value for British Columbia, more than 1,000...