The presentations at the Canadian Global Growth Forum are in line with the latest recommendations for data center development in Canada.
As Canada pitches itself to global investors this week, the CEO of a national artificial intelligence champion believes Canada has the potential to play an “extraordinary” role in data center development.
News: In conversation with Inovia Capital partner Chris Arsenault at the Canadian Global Growth Forum On Monday, Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez said he believes Canada has the potential to become a data center superpower.
Gomez said if Canada can address legitimate public concerns about water and energy consumption and carbon emissions, the country will be in a unique position to gain leverage on the world stage by becoming a global supplier of computing technology.
From the source: “We have many strengths in terms of data centers: we have a cold climate and the second largest territory of any country in the world,” Gomez said on stage. “We have space, we have clean energy.”
“We are very well positioned to become a superpower in the data center space,” Gomez added. “We can do this if we want.”
Context: Gomez’s remarks follow recent moves by the federal government and some provinces to set ground rules for data center development across Canada. Last week, the federal government announced that 23 countries, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Cohere, had signed up to the new Principles for Responsible Data Center Development. The principles aim to address public concerns about the potential impacts of development, for example on the environment and local resources.
Research firm Mordor Intelligence values Canada’s data center market at nearly US$14 billion (C$19 billion), a figure the firm estimates could nearly double by 2031.
Last thought: Cohere leaders continue to speak publicly on topical artificial intelligence issues. As global AI companies like Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI call for slowing down AI development through regulation, Gomez wrote a blog post comparing the proposal to creating a “state-sanctioned cartel,” a term co-founder Nick Frost signed off on in an X-post. In his post, Gomez argues that artificial intelligence giants are demanding to change the rules of competition and dictate terms to everyone else.
Artistic image courtesy of Photagonist for CVCA.