The proposal submission period is now closed. The call for proposals ran from January 15 to February 15, 2026.
The transformative nature of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating economic opportunities for millions of Canadians. The adoption of digital technologies is creating a critical need for greater compute capacity to support digital services and products.
Canada is investing in building the necessary AI compute infrastructure to help businesses seize opportunities from AI, creating long-term economic growth. As described in Budget 2025, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation will engage with industry to identify promising AI infrastructure projects and enter into memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the proponents of those projects.
Through this MOU process, the government will explore mechanisms that enable large‑scale commercial AI data centres to be built in Canada. This will provide additional compute capacity for the broader domestic innovation ecosystem, including academia and industry.
Submit your proposals
Building on recently established mechanisms across the federal government to support the building of data centres, the Government of Canada is inviting qualifying Canadian firms and consortia to submit an intake form detailing how the proposal aligns with the criteria objectives listed below, addresses the AI compute needs of Canadian researchers and Canadian industry, and encourages cross-sector partnerships to drive technological advancement and innovation.
To receive an intake form please email ai-infrastructure-ia@ised-isde.gc.ca.
Criteria
The Government of Canada is seeking proposals for the development of sovereign, large‑scale AI data centres with total planned capacities greater than 100 megawatts (MW), designed to serve a broad spectrum of Canadian clients. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate a clear path to completion, include Indigenous participation, minimize environmental impacts and maximize the use of Canadian partners and supply chains.
Intake forms should clearly demonstrate how AI data centre project proposals meet the following criteria:
- Economic/ecosystem benefit
- Indigenous participation
- Sovereignty factors
- Energy considerations
- Performance capabilities
- Readiness level
- Project cost and structure
Submission details
A competitive process will be used to select projects for future consideration. Proponents are asked to email their completed intake form to ai-infrastructure-ia@ised-isde.gc.ca by the deadline below. Questions about the intake form can also be sent to this email before the deadline.
By submitting an intake form, you agree that Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) may share the intake form with federal partners—such as Invest in Canada, Canada Development Investment Corporation, Canada Infrastructure Bank, Export Development Canada and the Major Projects Office—and/or provincial and municipal government departments/agencies as ISED deems necessary to assess this proposal and/or to refer the proposal. Information provided to ISED will be treated in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The full consent text can be found in the intake form.
Timelines
The deadline to submit intake forms is February 15, 2026.
To improve efficiency and support our review process, we will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help summarize submitted proposals.