The Government of Canada is looking to build a data centre in Ottawa.
According to a notice from Defence Construction Canada, the facility would be used by Canada’s cyber spy agency, Communications Security Establishment Commission (CSE), on “mid- to long-term objectives” in government operations. The project is expected to cost between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion, although it’s unclear how long it would take to build once plans are finalized.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, CSE said the data centre comes as part of the government’s “broader defence investments” that are being made to “modernize the secure infrastructure and capabilities needed to respond to evolving threats and support Canada’s national security and defence priorities.”
Outside of that, the spokesperson said it doesn’t disclose “specific operational or technical requirements beyond what is publicly available” to “protect national security and the integrity of its operations.”
Notably, news of this Ottawa project coincides with the feds’ announcement of $500 million in additional AI funding. It also comes just one month after the government outlined a framework for companies creating data centres in Canada. Per the guidelines, these facilities:
- Must create lasting local benefits
- Must not shift electricity costs to Canadians
- Must minimize water use and environmental impacts
- Must be transparent about local impacts
- Must bring strategic value to Canada
It’s important to stress, however, that the word “must” is misleading since the government hasn’t actually made this framework legally binding. Therefore, it doesn’t actually mean anything for big companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, Bell and Telus to say they support the framework since they’re under no obligation to actually adhere to them.
This speaks to the larger issue regarding data centres and AI use in general: there’s simply little to no regulation. Even Brad Smith, the president of the notoriously AI-pilled Microsoft, recently admitted that milk and washing machines are more regulated than AI, leading him to call for greater global restrictions to be placed on the tech. Some of the measures he called for are requirements for companies to notify victims when AI agents go rogue and “killswitches” should they indeed go rampant.
Naturally, there are many other concerns associated with AI, too, especially when it comes to their steep energy costs, heavy water consumption, and major carbon emissions. This has led to many protests across Canada, with municipalities like Mississauga agreeing to data centre moratoriums to deliberate their numerous potential impacts.
It remains to be seen what public pushback might come about in response to this Ottawa data centre.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Via: CTV News
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