Facebook and Instagram parent Meta said Wednesday it will invest more than US$9.1 billion to build its first artificial intelligence data centre in Canada and its largest outside the United States.

The facility will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, and powered by a natural gas-fired plant.

Meta said the data centre will use a closed-loop cooling system that won’t draw water from surrounding sources. The company also plans to invest US$42 million in local infrastructure, including roads and water systems.