Tech company wants to build large-scale data centre on this plot of land in Manitoba

A pair of tech companies are eyeing a plot of land just south of Winnipeg for a new data centre.

Hundreds of acres of farmland near Ile des Chênes could be the site of a large-scale data centre in the coming years as part of a move to meet the rising need for AI and high-density computing in North America.

Consensus Core Technologies Inc., a company specializing in data centres with a head office in Vancouver, has secured purchase agreements for approximately 350 acres in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot. The announcement was made earlier this month by Jet.AI, a partner in the joint venture and a U.S.-based data centre company that also operates aviation-specific AI software.

A December update posted to Jet.AI’s website shows the secured acreage between Highway 59 and Arnould Road, bounded by Provincial Road 405 to the south and Mondor Road to the north.

Jet.AI, a publicly traded company, has referred to the location as a “goldilocks” site for the data centre, referring to “abundant hydropower and natural gas capacity” in the vicinity. It also noted that transmission lines run directly overhead the parcel of land and that it’s adjacent to a Manitoba Hydro substation, a regional natural gas distribution substation, and a major pipeline junction.

“This aggregate of parcels provides ideal access to the regional natural gas distribution substation and access to the Manitoba Hydro substation,” reads a project update posted to its website.

In June, the company announced it was partnering with Consensus Core Technologies Inc. to develop a data centre campus in Midwestern Canada to “leverage Canada’s significant low-cost energy advantages to serve the growing demand for AI infrastructure.”

“If approved, this development proposal would deliver a business and technology win for Manitoba,” said Wayne Lloyd, CEO of Consensus Core, in an emailed statement to CTV News.

“The Ile des Chênes project would create a made-in-Manitoba world-class data centre, create new, well-paying jobs, and also add new local electricity generation to the provincial grid, reducing Manitoba’s reliance on imported power. We look forward to continuing to work with government officials as well as engaging the local community to bring this project to reality.”

A spokesperson said the company is the preliminary stages of the project, adding that it does not anticipate to build on all 350 acres and that it must still go through rezoning.

“Construction would happen in phases over a multi-year time horizon in consultation with the local community and province,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Rural Municipality of Ritchot told CTV News last week that nothing related to the project has come before council yet for consideration. The rural municipality said until something is presented, it would be premature to provide comment.

Jet.AI told CTV News it will have more to share on the project in the coming months.

-With files from CTV’s Will Reimer