Canada's latest obsession: data centres episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 2, 2026 · 26 MIN

Canada's latest obsession: data centres

from The Big Story · host Maria Kestane, Shion Guha

If you've noticed that data centres are having a moment in Canada right now, you wouldn't be the only one. As Ottawa looks to maintain a sovereign digital footprint amid the current AI rush, building its own data centres has the potential to do so. But the question is who actually funds these centres, and what are they doing to the environments around them? Host Maria Kestane speaks to Shion Guha, assistant professor at the Faculty of Information and Department of Computer Science to discuss why Canada is in a rush to build all these data centres and what Canadians need to know about them. Shion also writes The Public Interest Technologist newspaper, you can read it here: https://publictechnologist.substack.com We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

If you've noticed that data centres are having a moment in Canada right now, you wouldn't be the only one. As Ottawa looks to maintain a sovereign digital footprint amid the current AI rush, building its own data centres has the potential to do so. But the question is who actually funds these centres, and what are they doing to the environments around them? Host Maria Kestane speaks to Shion Guha, assistant professor at the Faculty of Information and Department of Computer Science to discuss why Canada is in a rush to build all these data centres and what Canadians need to know about them.

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Canada's latest obsession: data centres

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If you've noticed that data centres are having a moment in Canada right now, you wouldn't be the only one. As Ottawa looks to maintain a sovereign digital footprint amid the current AI rush, building its own data centres has the potential to do so....

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