Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:META) plan to build a C$13 billion ($13.2 billion) data centre in Alberta marks a major milestone for Canada’s AI ambitions. It also highlights the growing demand for the energy and minerals needed to power the AI economy.
The company will build its first Canadian data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta. Once complete, the facility will have 1 gigawatt (GW) of power capacity, making it Meta’s largest data centre outside the US and able to power about 750,000 homes.
The project is expected to create more than 3,000 construction jobs at peak and over 300 permanent operational positions, Meta says.
The announcement also delivers on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to make Canada “the best place in the world” to build AI infrastructure, while reinforcing Alberta’s emergence as one of North America’s fastest-growing data centre markets.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province has attracted as much as C$200 billion in proposed data centre investments.
AI boom fuels power demand
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is creating an equally fast increase in electricity demand.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres consumed about 415 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2024, accounting for around 1.5% of global demand. Electricity use is expected to double by 2030, while consumption from AI-focused data centres alone is forecast to triple.
Meta says it will fund new electricity generation and grid infrastructure to support its Alberta facility, alongside approximately C$60 million in local infrastructure upgrades, including roads and water systems.
For Canada, the IEA expects data centre capacity to grow from about 750 megawatts today to 1.16GW by 2029.
Nuclear enters the spotlight
Supplying reliable electricity to AI infrastructure is becoming one of the biggest challenges facing governments and utilities.
Meta’s Alberta facility is expected to draw power from a proposed C$4.6 billion ($4.7 billion) gas-fired power station being developed by Pembina Pipeline. However, as electricity demand continues to rise, many analysts believe nuclear energy will become an increasingly important part of the solution.
Unlike intermittent renewable sources, nuclear power provides around-the-clock, low-emissions electricity, making it well suited to energy-intensive facilities such as AI data centres.
Goldman Sachs estimates the world could require up to 90GW of additional nuclear generation capacity to meet projected growth in data centre electricity demand by the end of the decade.
Canada sees nuclear power as a cornerstone of its AI strategy. New projects are planned or under construction in Ontario and New Brunswick, while interest is growing in introducing nuclear generation to Western provinces, including Alberta.
Uranium demand grows
A renewed focus on nuclear power is strengthening the outlook for uranium.
Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi-based Teniz Capital Investment Banking described the trend as a “second nuclear renaissance”, driven in part by growing electricity demand from AI infrastructure and data centres.
Canada is well positioned to benefit.
The country is the world’s second-largest uranium producer, accounting for about 13% of global supply, according to the federal government. It is also one of the few countries with a fully integrated nuclear fuel supply chain, spanning uranium mining, milling, refining, conversion, and fuel fabrication.
All of Canada’s current uranium production comes from Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin, home to the world’s highest-grade uranium deposits and operated primarily by Cameco (TSX:CCO) and Orano Canada.
The Canadian Government is targeting a doubling of uranium exports by 2035, supported by one of the world’s largest uranium reserve bases.
Meeting that goal will require both existing producers and new discoveries.
Exploration companies such as Terra Clean Energy (CSE:TCEC) are advancing projects across the Athabasca Basin in search of the next generation of high-grade deposits.
Canadian companies are also expanding internationally. Vatic Ventures (TSX-V:VCV), for example, is exploring for uranium in Namibia, one of the world’s largest uranium-producing nations.
Copper demand accelerates
Copper is also emerging as a major beneficiary of the AI buildout.
The metal is essential for data centres, where it is used extensively in power systems, transformers, cooling equipment, and circuit boards. Even more copper is required to build the power plants, substations, and transmission networks needed to supply those facilities.
A study of Microsoft’s US$500 million ($715.5 million) Chicago data centre found it required more than 2,177 tonnes of copper — equivalent to about 27 tonnes for every megawatt of applied power.
S&P Global estimates AI-driven electrification is set to increase global copper demand by 50% by 2040, creating a potential supply shortfall of around 10 million tonnes.
BHP Group (ASX:BHP) expects copper demand from data centres to increase six-fold by 2050, while Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates 61 new copper mines will be needed by the end of this decade.
That outlook is creating opportunities for explorers looking to deliver the next wave of supply.
Transition Metals (TSX-V:XTM) is advancing district-scale copper projects in Ontario and Yukon while also exploring for uranium, reflecting growing investor interest in critical minerals.
British Columbia-based Nicola Mining (TSX-V:NIM) is expanding its copper exposure, with CEO Peter Espig saying new mine supply will be critical as AI infrastructure grows.
“A large demand for copper is the infrastructure for AI, but they cannot use recycled copper,” Espig says.
Outside Canada, Kobrea Exploration (CSE:KBX) is exploring in Argentina’s Mendoza province, where recent policy reforms have reopened the region to large-scale mining investment.
“With major mines being depleted or shut down across the globe, and the lack of new mines coming online, demand is outstripping supply and is projected to stay this way for the foreseeable future,” Kobrea says.
More than a data centre
Meta’s Alberta investment represents more than another hyperscale data centre.
It signals Canada’s growing role in the global AI economy while reinforcing the importance of the commodities needed to support it.
As AI infrastructure expands, demand for reliable electricity, uranium to fuel nuclear reactors, and copper to build power networks is expected to rise in tandem.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Meta Platforms
