Operating data centre, NVIDIA partnership signed, GPUs landing summer 2026 — actually shipping.
Land controlStrong
FinancingStrong
Power agreementsStrong
WaterStrong
Indigenous consentStrong
Schedule credibilityStrong
What the press says
Telus partners with NVIDIA to launch a Canadian "Sovereign AI Factory" — 500 Hopper GPUs deployed at Rimouski, expansion to Kamloops, BC.
What the public record says
Existing Telus data centre footprint, existing power, existing fiber. NVIDIA hardware schedule disclosed. Sovereignty narrative aligns with the federal C$2B AI Compute Strategy.
Konative read
The closest thing to a "shovel already in the ground" sovereign-AI build in Canada. If you're a Canadian capacity buyer who needs MW this year, Rimouski/Kamloops is your benchmark to compare every greenfield pitch against.
Operator-led, financed, 90 MW Calgary build on track to come online H2 2026.
Land controlStrong
FinancingStrong
Power agreementsMixed
WaterMixed
Indigenous consentUnverified
Schedule credibilityStrong
What the press says
C$750M, 90 MW data centre near Calgary — described in the press as "Alberta's largest."
What the public record says
eStruxture has operator track record. AESO interim allocation framework caps total large-load at 1,200 MW through 2028; CAL-3 fits inside that envelope. Power density up to 125 kW per cabinet.
Konative read
A credible Alberta build template. Useful as the "benchmark MDC" when sizing partner sites — if your project can't articulate why it lands inside CAL-3's economics, the press release is doing more work than the diligence.
Indigenous-majority LOI tied to fresh Site C capacity — the structurally cleanest BC path under the 2026 BC Hydro cap.
Land controlStrong
FinancingMixed
Power agreementsMixed
WaterStrong
Indigenous consentStrong
Schedule credibilityMixed
What the press says
Prophet River First Nation signs LOI for major DC near Fort St. John, leveraging Site C.
What the public record says
BC Hydro's 2026 Call for Demand caps new AI/DC interconnections at 300 MW + 100 MW respectively. Indigenous-led builds in the Peace region are one of the few structurally privileged paths through that cap.
Konative read
This is the model. Indigenous majority + fresh hydro MW + Pacific connectivity = a path that the rest of the BC market structurally cannot replicate. Konative's thesis on Northern BC distributed networks rhymes with this; the difference is gas-pipeline-aligned vs. Site-C-aligned.
Real CAPEX, real land filings, but timeline has slipped: now 2027–2028 first energization, full build through 2030.
Land controlStrong
FinancingMixed
Power agreementsMixed
WaterMixed
Indigenous consentUnverified
Schedule credibilityMixed
What the press says
"$10B AI data centre building blitz." 400 MW Foothills campus, 400 MW Chestermere campus targeting Dec 2026 energization.
What the public record says
Construction reported to start late 2025 / early 2026; first facilities now expected 2027–2028, full build-out through 2030. Listed in Alberta Major Projects.
Konative read
A real attempt at hyperscale-class capacity — but the original "energize by Dec 2026" framing has not survived contact with reality. Use the slip as a forecasting signal, not a gotcha: 400 MW Alberta campuses appear to be on a 4–5 year clock, not 18 months. Plan partner expectations accordingly.
C$240M federal commitment is real. Site, MW, and operational milestones are not yet public.
Land controlUnverified
FinancingStrong
Power agreementsUnverified
WaterUnverified
Indigenous consentUnverified
Schedule credibilityUnverified
What the press says
Federal government commits up to C$240M to Cohere for a multi-billion-dollar Canadian AI data centre.
What the public record says
Funding commitment is real and tied to the C$2B Sovereign AI Compute Strategy. Site, MW allocation, and operator partner have not been disclosed publicly.
Konative read
Federal capital is the strongest signal in the Canadian DC market right now — and Cohere has it. Watch for the operator selection: that announcement will tell you which partners are inside the federal sovereign-AI tent and which are outside.
World's-largest framing, no financing disclosed, no Indigenous consultation, ~12+ months behind preliminary schedule.
Land controlMixed
FinancingUnverified
Power agreementsWeak
WaterMixed
Indigenous consentWeak
Schedule credibilityWeak
What the press says
$70B, 7.5 GW BYOP gas-fired AI campus. Largest data centre in the world. Construction begins 2026, first phase operating 2027.
What the public record says
Land sale contract with Greenview signed March 2026; province waived its environmental assessment. Preliminary work is already a year behind schedule. Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation publicly criticized the lack of consultation. Financing partners and offtake have not been disclosed.
Konative read
Treat Wonder Valley as a political artifact, not a build. The waiver of environmental assessment buys speed on paper but creates litigation surface. Until financing and Indigenous consent are visible, every other Canadian project that does those things first has a faster real path to MW.
Talks with federal AI minister and unnamed public/private players. No site, no MW, no MOU.
Land controlWeak
FinancingUnverified
Power agreementsWeak
WaterUnverified
Indigenous consentUnverified
Schedule credibilityWeak
What the press says
OpenAI considering Stargate-style infrastructure or capacity purchase in Canada; talks underway with Minister Solomon.
What the public record says
No site disclosed. No MW allocation. No partner stack. Stargate's flagship Norway version stalled and Microsoft took over April 2026 — a useful warning that Stargate-branded discussions and Stargate-branded shovels are different things.
Konative read
Stargate Canada is a brand and a meeting calendar, not a project. If a Canadian counterparty cites "we're part of the Stargate conversation" as their proof of viability, that's the cue to ask for the next three artifacts: site control, MW allocation, capital partner.