Telus and feds announce AI data cluster in B.C. to boost 'sovereign' computing power

Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Evan Solomon speaks to reporters ahead of a federal cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

VANCOUVER — The federal government and Telus have announced plans for a large-scale AI data centre project in British Columbia they say will boost Canada’s sovereign computing and artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

The project announced by AI Minister Evan Solomon and Telus in Vancouver will involve three facilities in B.C. which Telus says will deliver “one of the world’s most powerful and sustainable AI infrastructure clusters.”

It’s part of a federal initiative announced last year to identify and boost large-scale sovereign data centres.

Telus says it will expand its existing Kamloops data centre and develop two new Vancouver facilities in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and in the city’s downtown.

The Kamloops expansion and the Mount Pleasant facility will open later this year, while the downtown facility will come online in 2029.

The government says the project will support domestic innovation involving both academia and industry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2026.