Canada’s government has put out a call for businesses interested in building large-scale AI data centers.

It is looking for industry partners interested in constructing data centers with a capacity of more than 100MW in Canada.

The move is designed to grow Canada’s sovereign AI compute power and reduce its reliance on firms from abroad.

Evan Solomon, Canada’s AI minister, said his government is “taking bold steps to secure Canada’s AI future by building the infrastructure to support innovation at home.”

Writing on LinkedIn, Solomon said: “This initiative aims to strengthen Canada’s AI sovereignty, drive economic growth, support Indigenous participation, and maximize the use of Canadian partners and supply chains.”

Data centers must offer capacity of more than 100MW, and be designed to serve a broad spectrum of Canadian clients, the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) said.

“Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate a clear path to completion, include Indigenous participation, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize the use of Canadian partners and supply chains,” it said.

The government plans to sign memorandums of understanding with selected companies, and “explore mechanisms that enable large‑scale commercial AI data centers to be built in Canada.” It has not confirmed whether any funding or incentives will be offered to developers, as has happened in countries such as the UK with AI Growth Zones.

DCD has contacted ISED for more information on the proposals.

Many Canadian companies rely on digital infrastructure provided by vendors based in the US, but geopolitical tensions, which have heightened since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, have led ministers to look at ways to boost digital sovereignty in areas such as AI.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used his speech at the WEF conference in Davos this week to warn of a “rupture” in the established international order, and said Canada would have to take a new approach to how it does business with the US.

Carney said: “On AI, we're cooperating with like-minded democracies to ensure that we won't ultimately be forced to choose between hegemons and hyperscalers."

Businesses have until February 15 to submit their proposals for new data centers via the ISED website.