Just two years ago, Quebec had just 39 data centers; now, this number has shot up to 50. So, what’s driving this growth? Well, the Canadian city offers vast amounts of low-cost and green energy, generated mainly from hydro dams, which gives it the big green tick.
Of course, while it’s no Virginia, tech giants are developing in the city, and already Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, and IBM already own data centers in the area. Google is now expanding its digital footprint there, having purchased around 60 hectares (150 acres) of land, as is Microsoft, which has also made a purchase in the city.
Speaking to AFP about the great energy deals on offer there, Cendrix Bouchard, spokesman for public utility Hydro-Quebec, said: "Our rates are among the most advantageous in the world. Companies came here because it's cheap, but above all because the energy (99 percent of it) is renewable.”
That said, some have warned about continual data center growth in the area. Hugues Ferreboeuf of The Shift Project, a non-profit pushing for the shift to a post-carbon economy, said although placing data centers in areas with an abundance of renewable energy such as hydro and solar, there must be a limit. “They must manage to control the growth in their consumption, otherwise they will capture too much of the electricity produced by renewable energies," said Hugues.
