Image: Microsoft
Microsoft has announced a US$500 million investment to expand its hyper-scale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Quebec over the next two years.The investment will involve the construction of multiple data centre locations in four different municipalities: L’Ancienne-Lorette, Donnacona, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, and Lévis. The construction is expected to start in the coming months and will increase Microsoft’s computing capacity by about 240 percent by 2026. This will build on the existing capacity that Microsoft already has in the province, including a data centre region that was launched in 2016.
Microsoft also said that it will ensure that the future data centre locations will meet its sustainability goals of being carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030. To achieve this, Microsoft will use low-carbon materials during construction and adopt renewable energy sources, advanced cooling features, and measures to reduce diesel fuel use during operation.