Ontario has an opportunity to turn the world’s demand for artificial intelligence into something every household can understand: a lower electricity bill.
asserted
household → have → something
It is also an opportunity to build the energy system that a growing, modern Ontario and Canadian economy will need for decades to come.
asserted
economy → build → decades
It is also a chance to build an export industry.
asserted
It → build → industry
Computing power is becoming a basic input for everything from drug discovery to industrial design.
asserted
power → become → design
Every time a business uses an AI model, somewhere a data centre has to run it.
asserted
centre → use → it
Ontario can sell the computing power behind those services to customers around the world.
asserted
Ontario → sell → world
And if we build enough of it here, Canadian businesses will have more options for getting the computing power they need to compete.
asserted
they → build → power
Getting there will require more ambition than deciding which data centres deserve a connection to our existing grid.
asserted
centres → get → grid
We should use long-term demand from global technology companies to help finance a much larger electricity system, with a direct financial benefit for Ontarians and the capacity to attract the industries and investment that will shape our future.
asserted
that → use → future
In the U.S., concerns about electricity prices and data centre development are becoming political liabilities.
asserted
concerns → become → prices
In last week’s midterm elections, voters favoured limits on data centre development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures tracked by Ballotpedia.
asserted
voters → favour → Ballotpedia
Candidates who backed statewide pauses won governors’ races in New York, Ohio, Georgia, and Texas.
asserted
who → back → York
Global demand for compute is still growing.
asserted
demand → grow → compute
The harder it becomes to build in some of the places investors have traditionally looked, the more valuable it is for Ontario to offer a credible timetable for approvals and power delivery.
asserted
Ontario → become → approvals
The Ford government has already laid important groundwork.
asserted
government → lay → groundwork
It sustained the Darlington refurbishment and advanced a small modular reactor that is now under construction.
asserted
that → sustain → construction
These are meaningful commitments to the province’s long-term energy capacity, supported by an experienced workforce and an established nuclear industry.
asserted
These → support → workforce
The completed refurbishment alone secured more than 3,500 megawatts of generating capacity for at least another 30 years.
asserted
refurbishment → complete → years
We should build on that progress with greater ambition.
asserted
We → build → ambition
Ontario’s electricity planner expects demand to grow by 65 percent between 2026 and 2050.
asserted
demand → expect → 2026
In its reference forecast, data centres alone account for 8.6 percent of Ontario electricity demand by 2050.
asserted
centres → account → 2050
That forecast already includes AI.
asserted
forecast → include → AI
But planning for anticipated demand is different from deliberately building enough capacity to attract industries that might otherwise locate elsewhere.
uncertain
that → plan → industries
Ontario Premier Doug Ford takes a tour of the mock-up reactor at the Darlington Power Complex, in Bowmanville, Ont., Friday, May 31, 2019.
uncertain
Ford → take → Bowmanville
A data centre in Ontario can sell computing services around the world.
asserted
centre → sell → world
Those exports bring outside money into the province while creating demand for electricity produced here.
asserted
exports → bring → electricity
Long-term commitments from creditworthy customers can help finance new generation and transmission, reducing the uncertainty involved in building major infrastructure.
asserted
commitments → finance → infrastructure
Ontario has a significant opportunity to leverage the growing global demand for artificial intelligence by expanding its electricity capacity and developing a robust computing power export industry.
asserted
Ontario → have → industry
This initiative could lead to lower electricity bills for households and attract investments in energy-intensive industries.
uncertain
initiative → lead → industries
The province’s strategic planning and long-term commitments from technology companies can help finance new infrastructure, ensuring Ontario remains competitive in the AI landscape.
asserted
Ontario → finance → landscape
By prioritizing local benefits and creating a favorable environment for data centers, Ontario can position itself as a major supplier of computing power in North America.
asserted
Ontario → prioritize → America
The Aporia
