"Canada wants to build data centres that are not just physically located here, but controlled here a distinction experts say could determine whether the country can reduce its dependence on U.S. tech giants and keep Canadian data subject to Canadian rules. But as Ottawa reviews more than 160 data-centre proposals to support the growing demands of artificial intelligence, the promise of "sovereign" infrastructure is already running into a harder question: how much control Canada can really have over data centres that may still rely on foreign hardware, foreign customers and digital networks that do not always respect national borders."
"Many countries, including Canada, are heavily dependent on U.S. firms for digital and cloud services the remote computing and data storage offered by technology giants such as Amazon and Microsoft. Recently, a Canadian launched a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which allegedly sought "vast swaths of information" through Google, about his personal life following social media posts critical of Donald Trump's administration. U.S. laws give the country's intelligence and law-enforcement services broad powers to access data."
""It's not the first time nor will it be the last time where foreign governments have requested data on Canadian citizens," said Kotak. That concern is now shaping Ottawa's push to build more Canadian-based AI infrastructure. Telus is the first successful applicant for the federal data-centre program, although negotiations with Ottawa are ongoing and no federal funding has been committed."
Canada is pursuing data centres that are physically located in the country and controlled by Canadian authorities to reduce reliance on U.S. technology firms and keep data governed by Canadian rules. Ottawa is reviewing more than 160 data-centre proposals to meet rising artificial intelligence demand, while experts warn that sovereignty depends on more than location. Control can be constrained by foreign hardware, foreign customers, and digital networks that may not respect national borders. Foreign governments can request data on Canadian citizens, and U.S. laws can grant broad access powers to intelligence and law-enforcement services. A lawsuit involving U.S. data access efforts underscores the risk. The federal data-centre program has an initial successful applicant, Telus, but funding is not yet committed.
#data-sovereignty #canada-us-tech-dependence #ai-infrastructure #cloud-computing #cross-border-data-access
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