Boon or boondoggle? N.S. weighs $10B data centre’s promised economic benefits
Living more than 200 kilometres from the site of a major artificial intelligence data centre proposal isn't stopping Michael McCluskey from voicing his opposition to the project.
An 18,600-square-meter data centre proposed for Nova Scotia by Californian AI firm Anthropic could bring significant economic benefits to the region, but concerns have been raised about its potential drawbacks. Michael McCluskey, a retired military veteran from Dartmouth, has voiced his opposition to the project, arguing that it's merely the latest in a series of grand economic development initiatives that have failed to deliver tangible results for the province.
He doubts that the data centre would be located in a thriving area, suggesting that companies are attracted to economically disadvantaged regions. Anthropic plans to lease the Point Tupper site for its first Canadian data centre, with the facility expected to generate more than 14-times the electricity consumption of existing Canadian data centres.
If the project moves ahead, EverWind expects to create 2,000 jobs during construction and 215 permanent positions, with salaries ranging between $135,000 and $185,000 per year. The MP for Nova Scotia's riding of Halifax West, Kody Blois, supports the AI initiative, stating that AI is transforming the global economy and the federal government wants to seize the opportunity.
However, tech critic Paris Marx warns that while the direct benefits might be limited, the project could still lead to economic spinoffs, such as increased spending at local businesses. Despite a potential hydrogen project in Newfoundland falling through, EverWind remains optimistic, stating that the data centre will provide a major industrial use for its renewable energy infrastructure while the international hydrogen market develops.
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