Tech giant Google is planning to invest $735 million (CAD) in a new data centre in the Montérégie according to a statement from the company released today. The Silicon-Valley headquartered conglomerate is planning to acquire property in Beauharnois, with the intention of some day building a large data centre there.

Google is planning for the future, citing increasing demand for its services worldwide. The company also pointed out that abundant (and affordable) renewable energy in Quebec made investing here more attractive as the company considers its environmental footprint moving forward. It plans to run its entire business on clean energy by 2030. Google has had an office in Montreal since 2004, and is currently building a new space in the city in which it plans to house upwards of 1,000 employees post-pandemic, including software developers, a cybersecurity and sales team, as well as AI researchers.

“I am very proud to announce today a future major project for the region. Here, in Beauharnois, once the proposed project commences, it is estimated to generate well-paid jobs, both during construction and in the operation of the future data center. The growth of a company the scale of Google in Québec confirms our status as one of the world’s most dynamic and greenest technology hubs,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation.

Google estimates that once construction begins on the data center, it will provide work for 300-500 people. Once completed, the data center would employ dozens of people, with at least 20-30 in skilled roles.