In sum – what to know:
OpenAI explores Canada expansion – The company is in talks with government and industry partners about securing local data center capacity to strengthen the country’s AI ecosystem.
Part of global AI buildout – Similar to projects in Norway, Germany, and the U.K., OpenAI aims to align infrastructure growth with its “OpenAI for Countries” program.
Boost to digital sovereignty – The move aligns with Ottawa’s goal to gain greater control over national computing infrastructure.
U.S. AI company OpenAI is exploring opportunities to secure data center capacity in Canada, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported, citing the company’s chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, as saying.
The executive noted that OpenAI has already launched initiatives in Germany and Norway involving either the construction of AI infrastructure or the purchase of capacity — and is now considering a similar approach in Canada.
“It is about being a true, real partner here on the ground in Canada. That could be a full-stack infrastructure. It could be doing some version of committing to buying compute,” Lehane said.
The executive added that OpenAI could serve as an anchor tenant for new Canadian data centers, providing the customer commitments developers need to launch facilities that would later support broader AI workloads across the country.
Lehane also said the company is meeting with government officials and both public- and private-sector stakeholders to explore ways to bolster Canada’s AI ecosystem.
OpenAI’s move aligns with its OpenAI for Countries program, launched in May, which aims to partner with nations to expand AI infrastructure and localize ChatGPT in line with national languages and cultures. In recent months, the company has announced projects with Norway, Germany, and the U.K., including a memorandum of understanding with the British government to explore AI use in both public and private sectors.
The initiative also comes amid growing concern about the Canada’s reliance on U.S. technology providers for critical digital services, prompting Ottawa to emphasize “digital sovereignty” — the ability to control domestic infrastructure and data.
The federal government has already signed a non-binding agreement with Toronto-based Cohere, to test AI applications for public services. Prime Minister Mark Carney has also promoted a sovereign cloud initiative to ensure greater control over computing power.
Last month, the government announced the launch of an AI strategy task force and confirmed it will set out a renewed AI strategy over the coming months.