TELUS AI data centre cluster in BC raises sovereignty and power grid questions

Summary

TELUS has been selected under Ottawa's large-scale AI data-centre initiative to build a major AI data-centre cluster in British Columbia. The project will start with 85 megawatts of power from BC Hydro, scaling to 150 megawatts and over 60,000 NVIDIA GPUs by 2032, across three sites including Kamloops and Mount Pleasant. The initiative raises questions about who will ultimately control the infrastructure, as placing data centres in Canada does not automatically mean Canadian control—servers may be physically inside Canada while technology, software, customers, or parent companies remain foreign. There are also concerns about whether BC's clean power grid can handle the electricity demand.