Photo credit: ReutersMeta Platforms just announced something pretty big for Canada's tech landscape, a C$13 billion investment into a brand new AI focused data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta. This marks Meta's very first data centre on Canadian soil, and it's shaping up to be one of the company's biggest AI infrastructure bets outside the US. According to both Meta and Alberta government officials, the campus is expected to cement the province's reputation as a serious player for hyperscale tech investment, while also feeding Meta's ever growing appetite for AI computing power.When it first comes online, the facility will offer 1 gigawatt of computing capacity, with room to grow all the way up to 1.8 gigawatts down the line. This announcement lands right in the middle of a broader trend, tech giants across the globe are pouring billions into AI infrastructure just to keep up with how fast demand for computing power and large scale data processing keeps climbing.How This Alberta Campus Is Actually Going To Get BuiltMeta's new site will sit on close to 1,750 acres in Sturgeon County, not far from Edmonton, with roughly 2.9 million square feet of development planned across the campus. Per the company, the facility launches at 1 GW of capacity but has been built with future expansion in mind, scaling up to 1.8 GW as demand picks up.On the jobs front, construction alone is expected to create north of 3,000 positions, and once everything's up and running, the site should support more than 300 permanent jobs. Meta's also putting roughly C$60 million toward local infrastructure, things like roads and water systems, to make sure the surrounding communities aren't left dealing with the strain of a project this size.Why Alberta, Of All PlacesThere's a pretty clear reasoning behind why Meta landed on Alberta for its first Canadian facility. Officials from both sides point to a few key factors, plenty of available land for a project this massive, dependable access to energy, and a regulatory environment that doesn't get in the way of large scale infrastructure builds.Alberta's naturally cool climate helps too, since it can meaningfully cut down cooling costs for a facility running at this scale. On top of that, officials noted that Alberta's willingness to support dedicated power generation for major industrial customers gave the province a real edge, especially as tech companies increasingly hunt for locations that can actually handle the energy intensity that modern AI workloads demand.Why Meta Keeps Expanding Its Data Centre Footprint So AggressivelyMeta has been ramping up spending on AI infrastructure hard, largely to keep pace with how much its generative AI features have expanded across its apps and services. Training AI models and running AI powered features for billions of users takes a serious amount of processing power, and that means massive clusters of advanced chips and networking gear.As that demand keeps climbing, Meta's response has been to keep building out hyperscale data centres in region after region. This Alberta project will actually be Meta's 33rd data centre worldwide, and it stands as one of the company's largest AI focused builds outside the US, a pretty clear signal of just how committed Meta is to growing its global computing network over the long haul.Where This Fits Into Meta's Bigger AI PictureThis Alberta build is really just one piece of a much larger AI infrastructure push Meta has planned over the coming years. According to the company, this campus is meant to help handle the computing demands that future AI models and digital services are going to need.For power, the site will initially draw electricity from Capital Power, until a planned 932 megawatt natural gas plant called the Greenlight Electricity Centre comes online, which isn't expected until around 2030. Meta also says the facility will run on a closed loop cooling system specifically designed to cut down on water usage.Provincial leaders have welcomed the investment with open arms, but it hasn't been without pushback. Some environmental groups have raised concerns about the project leaning on natural gas for its electricity, adding fuel to the broader, ongoing debate around just how sustainable this whole AI infrastructure boom really is.FAQsWhere exactly is Meta building its new Canadian data centre?It's going up in Sturgeon County, Alberta, close to Edmonton.How much money is Meta putting into this project?Around C$13 billion, all going toward this AI focused data centre.Why did Meta pick Alberta over other locations?According to Meta and provincial officials, Alberta checks a lot of boxes, plenty of land, reliable energy, a favorable regulatory setup, and climate conditions that naturally help with cooling costs at this scale.How many jobs is this expected to create?More than 3,000 jobs during construction, and over 300 permanent roles once the facility is fully operational.How is the facility going to get its power?Capital Power will supply electricity initially, with the long term plan tied to the Greenlight Electricity Centre once it's built. Meta's also using a closed loop cooling system to help reduce water consumption at the site.end of article