First Nations say Alberta data centre approach won’t attract big tech players
The chiefs of four First Nations in Alberta say they’re eager to take part in the province’s nascent data centre industry, but the province is taking the wrong approach to attract large-scale tech players.
The chiefs of the Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation outlined their concerns in an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith and members of her government.
Data centres are huge facilities housing the computing firepower needed for artificial intelligence and other applications. They take an enormous amount of power to run and cool them.
The Alberta Electric System Operator said earlier this month that it has received requests from 29 proposed data centre projects representing more than 16,000 megawatts more than 11 times the City of Edmonton’s load.
