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TechMeta to build first Canadian data center in Alberta for $9.18 billion
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Meta (META) announced plans to build its first Canadian data center in Alberta as part of its broader AI infrastructure expansion. The 1-gigawatt facility, the 33rd in Meta's global fleet, will cost approximately $9.18 billion and support 3,000 construction jobs, with 300 permanent workers upon completion. Meta is also investing $42.4 million in local infrastructure upgrades. The data center will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system with dry cooling, requiring no operational water use. This expansion comes as Meta plans to spend $125-$145 billion on data centers this fiscal year, which has concerned investors amid a 16% stock decline over 12 months. The company has reorganized its AI efforts under Meta Superintelligence Labs, releasing Muse Spark and Muse Image models. Additionally, Meta is reportedly considering selling excess computing capacity to third parties, potentially competing with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and CoreWeave, which could provide a new revenue stream.
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Daniel Howley · Technology Editor Wed, July 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM PDT · 2 min read
META +4.70%
Meta (META) is expanding its data center footprint into Canada. The company announced Wednesday that it will construct its first Canadian data center in Alberta as part of its broader AI build-out.
The 1-gigawatt facility — the 33rd in Meta's global fleet, which includes international sites in Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, and Singapore — will cost approximately $9.18 billion and support 3,000 construction jobs. Once completed, it will employ 300 workers.
Meta also stated it is contributing $42.4 million to upgrade local infrastructure in the area. The new facility will use a closed-loop, liquid-cooling system with dry cooling, which requires no operational water use. According to Meta, the only water consumption will be for fire safety and domestic purposes.
(META)
631.48 +28.36 (+4.70%) At close: July 9 at 4:00:01 PM EDT
In its current fiscal year, Meta plans to spend between $125 billion and $145 billion on data centers and related expenses. That spending has spooked investors, with Meta stock falling 16% over the last 12 months and 8.6% year to date.
Wall Street has also raised concerns about Meta's ability to execute on its AI roadmap, particularly after its prior-generation Llama 4 models fell short of expectations last year.
Since then, the company has reorganized its AI efforts around Meta Superintelligence Labs. It released its first model under the new organization, called Muse Spark, in April. On Tuesday, Meta debuted its second Muse model: Muse Image.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Meta is moving forward with plans to sell excess computing capacity to third-party customers, potentially putting it into direct competition with hyperscalers like Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT), as well as neocloud providers like CoreWeave (CRWV).
CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased the idea of selling excess computing capacity during Meta's prior earnings calls. The move could provide the company with a new revenue stream, bolstering its bottom line and offering investors greater clarity on how it plans to monetize its massive capital expenditure.
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Meta to Build First Major Canadian AI Data Center in Alberta