OTTAWA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government on Thursday unveiled a national framework to guide the responsible development of data centers across Canada, as demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing continues to accelerate.
The new guidelines, titled Canada's Responsible Data Centre Development Principles, outline five core expectations for future projects, requiring data centers to create lasting local benefits, to not shift electricity costs to Canadians, to minimize water use and environmental impacts, to be transparent about local impacts, and to bring strategic value to Canada.
A total of 23 major tech, cloud and telecommunications firms have signed on to support the principles, including Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Bell Canada and TELUS. ■
