Montréal is a key hub for data centers
Greater Montréal attracts a lot of data centres and cloud computing services and has quickly become a key hub in North America. There have been major investments in the city over the past few years with big names such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft, IBM, OVH, Vantage Data Centers, Cologix and, others setting up here. As a result, Hydro-Québec has had a 30% increase in energy consumption from data centres since 2016.
All the buzz for Montréal can be explained by the many advantages it offers and how it sets itself apart from other major North American cities:
Renewable, clean and reliable energy
Over 99% of the energy generated to power data centres in Greater Montréal comes from renewable sources. The power mostly comes from hydroelectricity, a clean energy with one of the lowest carbon emissions in the world. The largest producer of renewable energy in North America, Hydro-Québec, is also world-renowned for its reliable transmission network.
Competitive rates
Thanks to an abundance of hydroelectricity, Greater Montréal has the lowest and most stable electricity rates in North America. This available energy supply can satisfy the growing demand from data centres. What’s more, data centres in Québec can take advantage of the cold climate to mitigate the extensive costs of cooling their infrastructure and cut operating expenses.
Key technology hub
Greater Montréal’s high-tech sectors are experiencing explosive growth as the city offers them everything they need to thrive: a hotbed of highly skilled talent and a high concentration of global players. The city is a world leader in AI, video games, visual effects, aerospace, and life sciences and health technologies.
Favourable business climate
Montréal won the award for best foreign direct investment strategy in the Digital Economies of the Future ranking by FDI Magazine (Financial Times). The city has the most competitive operating costs among 20 of the largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the U.S., in addition to the many attractive incentives offered. What’s more, the region has a favourable legal environment regulating privacy under applicable federal and provincial law. All this makes Greater Montréal one of the best places to set up a data centre when factoring in these issues.
In addition to all these advantages, Greater Montréal has just been honoured with Data Centre Location of the Year by the 2019 Datacloud Global Awards, thus confirming its strategic positioning for data centres with this recognition. To see details of the contest.
