“$70 billion is probably the largest real estate project ever proposed in Canada. It’s certainly the largest data centre proposed globally right now,” said O’Leary.

The Wonder Valley Project

O’Leary, who calls himself Mr. Wonderful, announced Wonder Valley on Monday. It’s a 7,000-acre data centre park to be built about 42 kilometres south of Grande Prairie in the MD of Greenview.

Why Alberta?

In an interview with CityNews, O’Leary said the choice was driven by:

• Low taxes
• A talented workforce
• An abundance of natural gas for power generation

“We could probably be the world’s leaders in the development of AI technology and AI data centres because of one thing: our power. No one can compete with the power we have and that’s exactly what AI needs,” said O’Leary.

Economic Impact

Local officials say Highway 40 is already being upgraded to handle the boom. The project is expected to create:

• 3,000 to 5,000 jobs during the construction phase.
• 1,000 ongoing jobs once operational.

“What you’re doing is just taking a really consistent economy and you’re just giving it a jolt. And that jolt is just diversification,” said Kyle Reiling, MD of Greenview executive director.

Timeline and Logistics

O’Leary says he’s already optioned the land. The power turbines are expected to be up and running within 24 months, and the data centres will be built in phases.

He added that he’s been working with the premier’s office on this, noting that a potential change to a Conservative government in Ottawa is giving investors renewed confidence in doing business in Canada.

“This will provide thousands of jobs during the construction phase over the next five to seven years. And many of those will be high-paying jobs. Luckily Alberta has a very highly trained number of people who can do this,” said O’Leary.

Last week, the Alberta government announced a plan to attract $100 billion in AI data centre investment. O’Leary agrees that’s possible, and his project could go a long way toward realizing that goal.

Source: CityNews Edmonton / Sean Amato