The Municipal District of Greenview has partnered with Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame) and his O’Leary Ventures to build an AI data centre powered by natural gas and geothermal power in the Greenview Industrial Gateway (GIG).
O’Leary says the project's total investment over its lifetime is expected to be over $70 billion when “considering the infrastructure, power, data centres and ancillary structures.”
“The first phase of 1.4 GW will be approximately $2 billion USD with subsequent annual rollout of redundant power in 1 GW increments,” said O’Leary.
“The GIG’s ideal cold-weather climate, a highly skilled labour force, Alberta’s pro-business policies and attractive tax regime make the GIG the perfect site for this project.
“We want to deliver transformative economic impact and the lowest possible carbon emissions afforded to us by the quality of gas in the area, our efficient design and the potential to add geothermal power as well.
“Together, these factors create a blueprint for sustainability and success that can be recognized worldwide. This is the Greenview model.”
O’Leary Ventures has named the project Wonder Valley, saying it “marks the creation of an entirely new industry sector for the region and country.”
“This is more than just an investment in land; it’s an investment in the future of innovation and economic expansion for Canada,” said Tyler Olsen, MD of Greenview Reeve.
“We’re excited to take this step forward, creating lasting benefits not only for our municipality but for the surrounding communities and the country as a whole.”
Wonder Valley is expected to expand throughout multiple phases and will “provide a massive influx of job opportunities during construction and beyond, bringing long-term employment and driving economic growth,” said Greenview in a media release.
The GIG signed a letter of intent to have O’Leary Ventures purchase and develop thousands of acres of land within the GIG and south of it.
O’Leary says he believes that due to the location, which includes natural gas, pipeline infrastructures, water and a fibre optic network within a few kilometres of GIG, Wonder Valley will be operational sooner than any other project of this size.
According to the release, the GIG will offer 7.5 GW of low-cost power to hyperscalers, computers used for data management that require vast infrastructure for large-scale data processing and storage, over the next five to 10 years.
Premier Danielle Smith says it is fantastic news for Alberta.
“Our efforts to attract investment, grow our technology and innovation sector, and leverage our natural and human resources are being noticed,” she said.
“The GIG project is proof that Alberta is a destination of choice for data centres and their corresponding power generation infrastructure,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation.
A video released by O’Leary Ventures shows a mockup of Wonder Valley that looks similar to Apple’s Apple Park in San Francisco.
The video claims Wonder Park will be “the single largest AI data compute centre on earth.”
