What to know
- Microsoft’s largest-ever Canadian investment will expand AI and cloud datacentres in Ontario and Quebec, supporting the province’s growing digital economy.
- The project is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of long-term roles, while also funding AI training programs for students, nonprofits, and underserved communities.
- Datacentres will contribute to municipal tax bases and local initiatives, while the company says it will manage electricity and water use to avoid added costs or environmental strain.
Canada is receiving a $19-billion investment from Microsoft, and it is expected to deliver several benefits to Ontarians from more jobs to funding for public services.
Last year, Microsoft announced a billion-dollar investment to expand cloud and AI infrastructure across its datacentres in Ontario and Quebec. According to the company, this is the biggest investment it has made in Canada in history.
Following the announcement, the company now revealed a breakdown of how this investment will benefit Canadians, as it moves from investing to actively implementing changes.
The investment will be guided by community-first principles, which Microsoft says will guide how the Ontario and Quebec data centres will partner with different levels of governments, local organizations, utilities, and educators.
Microsoft says the investments will support the creation of high-quality, long-term job opportunities for Canadians, with careers connected to AI infrastructure and the digital economy. To support that, the company will also work with local educators, workforce organizations, and career groups.
Currently, the company’s Canadian datacentres employ 2,000 people during construction, with more than 400 Canadian businesses involved in the development phase. Once these centres become fully operational, they will employ 250 full-time workers and 400 contractors.
To help more Canadians benefit from these career opportunities, Microsoft is also launching investments to help them develop AI and tech skills, including:
- A new National AI Skilling Grant with Digital Moment to deliver free, bilingual AI workshops and resources to 20,000 students and educators across the country;
- A partnership with Ampere and Pinnguaq Foundation to foster AI learning, data privacy and workforce readiness for youth and Indigenous communities;
- Launching a Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers and AI for Nonprofits credential in partnership with Nonprofit Digital Resilience and Digital Moment that will deliver AI skills training in English and French to 5,000 nonprofit professionals and leaders in Canada.
According to the breakdown, the datacentres will also contribute to municipal tax bases, which help fund public services, while also investing in local partnerships, including:
- Supporting workforce training and economic inclusion through NPower Canada;
- Providing donations for environmental conservation, restoration, and climate resilience projects with Ducks Unlimited Canada;
- Supporting digital access and community-led initiatives through Microsoft’s community funds.
The company also says although AI and cloud systems might overwhelm local electricity systems, it will introduce planning and investments so that these pressures don’t lead to extra costs for Canadians by:
- Working with provincial governments, utilities, and system operators to plan new electricity supply;
- Designing and operating energy-efficient datacentres;
- Paying the full cost of electricity the systems use.
AI systems might be known for extensively using water to operate, but Microsoft says its Ontario and Quebec datacentres are designed to responsibly manage the use of water, by:
- Primarily relying on outside air and only using water for cooling purposes less than five per cent of the year, while this water is reused multiple times;
- Engaging with provincial and local authorities for any water-related decisions.
Ontario welcomes the project
The Ontario government says it welcomes the billion-dollar investment, saying that Microsoft’s Ontario-based projects will support 1,000 construction jobs and 250 new long-term careers in the province.
According to the province, Microsoft’s Azure Canada Central, which is located in Toronto, has supported several local industries in the past ten years. The government expects the announced expansion to strengthen its domestic data capacities so that more local businesses can use AI technology.
“Strong data infrastructure has long underpinned the success of our provincial economy, supporting growth in the tech, health care and financial sectors,” Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli said in a statement.
“As demand for AI, cloud computing and data processing continues to grow, Microsoft’s investment will ensure companies looking to invest in the province have the infrastructure they need to stay competitive and meet the moment.”
