What Happened to the Google Data Center in Beauharnois, Québec?

Aerial view of the Google Data Center in Council Bluffs, IA (Photo by Chad Davis)

In 2021, Google announced plans to invest CA$735 million in a data center in Beauharnois, Quebec, aiming to leverage the province's hydroelectric power and cool climate. However, as of late 2024, the project remains stalled due to challenges in securing the necessary megawatts from Hydro-Québec, leading to a state of limbo for the initiative.

Meanwhile, the United States is making significant strides in AI infrastructure. OpenAI's Stargate project, a $500 billion venture, is constructing massive data centers in Texas, with the Abilene facility set to house up to 50,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips per building. Similarly, Elon Musk's xAI is developing a supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee, deploying 200,000 GPUs with plans to expand to a one-million-GPU site, despite facing environmental concerns.

Canada has announced investments to bolster its AI capabilities, including up to $700 million for new or expanded data centers and $300 million to provide affordable access to compute power for small and medium-sized enterprises. However, the stagnation of projects like Google's in Beauharnois raises questions about Canada's ability to keep pace in the global AI race. As the U.S. and China continue to invest heavily in AI infrastructure, Canada's role in this technological revolution remains uncertain.