Anthropic has secured a 420MW data centre in Nova Scotia, with construction set to begin this year and completion by 2028. The facility, leased from EverWind Fuels, will power the company's Claude models and support global demand.
TL;DR
- Anthropic secures a 420MW data centre in Nova Scotia, with construction starting this year and completion by 2028.
- The facility, leased from EverWind Fuels, will power the company's Claude models and support global demand.
- EverWind is raising $10B in private capital for the project, with an additional $2B for wind farms to support the data centre's electricity needs.
What happened
Anthropic, a leading AI company, has secured a 420MW data centre in Nova Scotia, with construction set to begin this year and completion by 2028. The facility, leased from EverWind Fuels, will power the company's Claude models and support global demand. EverWind is raising $10B in private capital for the project, with an additional $2B for wind farms to support the data centre's electricity needs.
The data centre will be built in two stages, with the first phase coming online by the end of 2027 and the second in 2028. The first phase will have a capacity of 95MW, while the second will have 325MW, totaling 420MW. Nova Scotia's current electrical generating capacity is close to 3,000MW, and EverWind said it will pay for any required upgrades to the province's electricity system.
Why it matters
This development is significant for Anthropic, as it secures a substantial amount of computing power to support the growing demand for its Claude models. The data centre will provide a reliable and sustainable source of energy, with EverWind's wind farms eventually supporting the facility's electricity needs.
The project is also a major boost for Nova Scotia, bringing billions of dollars in investment and hundreds of megawatts of computing power to the region. The data centre is expected to create construction and long-term employment opportunities, as well as infrastructure investment that could support future growth.
Key facts
- Anthropic will lease the data centre from EverWind Fuels for a term of at least 20 years.
- The data centre will be built in two stages, with the first phase coming online by the end of 2027 and the second in 2028.
- The first phase will have a capacity of 95MW, while the second will have 325MW, totaling 420MW.
- EverWind is raising $10B in private capital for the project, with an additional $2B for wind farms to support the data centre's electricity needs.
- The data centre will use a closed-loop water-glycol system, with a preliminary estimate for water usage of an average of 100,000 litres per day for the first phase and 500,000 litres of water per day including both phases.
- EverWind has signed on to Ottawa's responsible data centre development principles, which aim to ensure local benefits, minimal environmental impact, and minimal water use, and to prevent power rate spikes.
- A consortium of Mi'kmaw communities, fronted by Membertou First Nation, is negotiating a nine per cent equity stake in the project.
Context
This development is part of a broader trend of AI companies investing in large-scale data centres to support their growing computing needs. Data centres have become a flashpoint across Canada, especially those that power AI, because they can have huge footprints and require vast amounts of energy and water for cooling.
The project is also a significant investment in renewable energy, with EverWind's wind farms eventually supporting the data centre's electricity needs. This aligns with the federal and provincial governments' priorities of promoting responsible data centre development and renewable energy.
