Currently, there are five hyperscale data centres in Canada, with two in B.C. and others in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Alberta is now positioning itself to become a major hub for AI infrastructure. The approved $13 billion Meta data centre, north of Edmonton in Sturgeon County, shows the scale of investment beginning to enter the province.
According to researchers at York University, a further 96 data centre facilities are currently proposed, announced, or under construction across Canada. As demand for digital infrastructure grows, locations that can offer available land and access to power are becoming lucrative. And Alberta has emerged as a significant focus. In fact, if all proposed projects move ahead, Alberta could become home to 90 per cent of Canada’s total data centres.
As AI data centre development accelerates, new infrastructure brings questions around power and water consumption, emissions, land use, and the long-term operation of critical equipment. This is where analytical testing becomes part of the infrastructure story. From understanding site conditions before construction begins to monitoring fuels, cooling systems, and equipment once a facility is operating, analytical laboratory data supports regulatory requirements and gives operators greater visibility into the systems their facilities depend on.
What is Canada’s Strategy for Data Centre Infrastructure?
While the federal government has set an AI data centre framework with five expectations, including creating lasting local benefits, not shifting electricity costs to Canadians, and bringing strategic value to Canada, much of the responsibility for project development falls to provinces, territories, and municipalities. Some provinces have developed strategies of their own. In Ontario, the Data Centre Playbook is built around three pillars — Advance Economic Development, Protect Data Security and Digital Sovereignty, and Invest in Communities and Earn Public Trust. Further west, the Government of Alberta’s “bring your own power” strategy aims to use the province’s natural gas resources to support growing demand for computing infrastructure.
In Alberta, the government is also attempting to simplify what can be a lengthy and complex regulatory process through its AI Data Centre Concierge Service. Rather than developers navigating municipalities, the Alberta Utilities Commission, Alberta Environment, the Alberta Electric System Operator, natural gas connections, and Indigenous consultation independently, the concierge team acts as a single point of contact. According to EnergyNow, that kind of coordination matters because the global race for AI infrastructure is increasingly a race against time.
How AGAT Supports Complex Projects with a Multidisciplinary Approach
In the heart of oil and gas country, AGAT Laboratories has helped industry-leading companies solve complex problems with analytical science since 1979. What began in Calgary has grown into Canada’s largest privately-owned laboratory network, with more than 40 labs across North America. AGAT remains 100 per cent Canadian owned and operated, with decades of experience supporting industries where scientific data informs major operational and infrastructure decisions.
As a data centre project begins with environmental and geotechnical work, then moves into construction materials, power generation, cooling systems, and long-term equipment condition monitoring, AGAT’s multidisciplinary structure allows requirements to be supported within one laboratory network rather than across multiple providers.
Scientific credibility is also central to the role of an analytical laboratory. AGAT maintains accreditation, certification, or licensing for specific tests across its Canadian network through organizations including the Standards Council of Canada, CALA, and the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories (CCIL). For owners and operators, that means access to data that supports both technical decision-making and regulatory requirements. That breadth becomes important as testing needs change from development into operations.
Alberta’s AI Data Centre Concierge Service was created to help developers navigate a project that involves multiple regulators, utilities, and levels of government. There’s a similar advantage to continuity on the analytical side. As a data centre moves from site investigation into construction and operations, the type of testing changes, but the need for defensible scientific information does not. For a data centre operator, that continuity matters. Power availability may determine where a facility can be built, but once it’s operating, decisions about critical infrastructure increasingly depend on another resource — reliable scientific data.
How AGAT Supports Data Centres with End-to-End Analytical Testing
As developers make decisions about the land beneath the facility, the power supplying it, the systems keeping it cool, and the condition of the equipment once it’s running, each consideration is interconnected throughout the lifecycle of a facility. Industry guidance emphasizes the importance of involving operations early in the development process. In Alberta, project development may also involve power generation, grid access, municipal approvals, water use, and environmental requirements. The province has developed specific guidance to help investors navigate those considerations.
For owners and operators, the need for reliable scientific data begins well before a facility becomes operational. The same principle of early involvement applies to analytical testing — establishing baseline data upfront creates a reference point for the systems and equipment that will later require monitoring. As testing requirements change over the life of the facility, analysis provides operators with data to demonstrate compliance, guide technical decisions, and track the condition of critical infrastructure.
The following five areas show where AGAT’s analytical capabilities intersect with the development and operation of a data centre.
1. Site Selection and Development
When developers are in site selection phases, analytical testing supports geotechnical investigation and environmental requirements. This may include a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), followed by a Phase II ESA where potential contamination is identified. In Alberta, data centres and the power infrastructure supporting them remain subject to the same environmental laws and approval requirements as other industrial developments.
AGAT Labs supports developers in site selection and development with:
- Geotechnical Testing — supports foundation and civil design by assessing soil properties, bearing capacity, and other geotechnical conditions relevant to construction.
- Geology & Petrology — supports further characterization where bedrock or subsurface conditions may affect site suitability, excavation, or foundation design.
- Environmental Chemistry — supports Phase II ESA, baseline characterization, and project-specific regulatory requirements through soil, groundwater, and surface-water analysis.
- Ultra-trace — provides specialized analysis for PFAS, trace metals, and other low-level contaminants where site conditions or regulatory requirements call for additional sensitivity.
2. Construction and Commissioning
Once a site moves into development and the focus shifts to verifying how the facility is being built, Albertan municipal development and building requirements become more prominent. Additionally, project-specific approvals may also address stormwater, wastewater, air emissions, and other environmental conditions.
In Sturgeon County, data centre developments require a stormwater management plan, servicing information covering water and wastewater, and building and safety-code review before construction can proceed.
Commissioning is also where analytical testing begins to establish the reference points that become useful once the facility is operating. Baseline data for fuels, lubricants, coolants, and other systems can give operators meaningful data for comparisons as equipment enters service and condition monitoring begins.
AGAT Labs supports developers in data centre construction and commissioning with:
- Core & Materials Testing — supports concrete, aggregates, and other construction materials used in foundations and critical infrastructure.
- Geotechnical Testing — supports construction verification and ongoing assessment of soils, fill, and foundation-related conditions.
- Environmental Chemistry — supports stormwater, wastewater, and construction-related water analysis required by project approvals or site management plans.
- Air Quality Monitoring — supports dust, particulate, and emissions monitoring during active construction where required by regulatory approvals or site conditions. Alberta’s Air Monitoring Directive establishes monitoring and reporting requirements for facilities subject to applicable EPEA approvals.
- Lubricants & Fuels Testing — establishes baseline data for fuels, oils, and coolants during commissioning, creating a reference point for future condition monitoring once critical equipment enters service.
3. Power Systems
Alberta’s technical requirements asks developers to specify whether backup generators will be used during grid disconnection, what type of generation is involved, and how long those systems can sustain the facility’s load. That makes power reliability an equipment-condition issue as much as an electricity-supply issue. Where natural gas or diesel generation is used, fuel degradation, lubricant contamination, coolant deterioration, or abnormal wear can affect engine and generator reliability. Lab analysis gives operators objective data to verify fuel and fluid condition, identify developing issues, and investigate abnormalities before they compromise critical power systems. Emissions testing may also be required where onsite generation is subject to environmental approvals.
AGAT Labs supports developers in regard to power systems for data centres with:
- Petroleum Testing — provides natural gas composition and fuel-quality analysis for onsite generation and related energy infrastructure.
- Lubricants & Fuels Testing — monitors stored diesel, generator oils, engine coolants, and other operating fluids used in natural gas engines, turbines, and other power-generation equipment.
- Air Quality Monitoring — supports emissions testing and regulatory monitoring associated with onsite power generation.
4. Cooling and Water Systems
As cooling has become one of the defining engineering challenges in AI data centre development, Alberta’s cold climate gives the province an operational advantage by reducing the amount of mechanical cooling required during colder periods.
The cool climate advantage is already shaping major projects. Meta’s planned 1 GW Sturgeon County data centre will use a closed-loop liquid-cooling system with dry cooling. According to Meta, the cooling system will use no operational water, illustrating how hyperscale operators are designing around both heat density and water availability.
For operators, the cooling technology may vary, but the condition of the fluids moving heat through the system remains critical. Closed-loop systems may rely on ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or other heat-transfer fluids that can degrade, become contaminated, or change chemistry over time. Water-based systems introduce their own risks around scaling, corrosion, and water quality. Because those changes can affect heat transfer and system performance, laboratory analysis is essential to detecting degradation, contamination, and abnormal chemistry before they compromise cooling reliability.
AGAT Labs supports cooling and water systems for data centres with:
- Lubricants & Fuels Testing — analyzes ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and other coolants used in closed-loop systems to assess fluid condition, contamination, and degradation.
- Environmental Chemistry — provides cooling-water, make-up water, wastewater, and other process-water analysis where facility design or regulatory requirements call for ongoing water management.
- Ultra-trace — provides low-level metals and contaminant analysis where additional sensitivity is required to investigate corrosion, contamination, or changes in system chemistry.
- Forensic Investigations / Core & Materials Testing — investigates deposits, corrosion products, unknown contaminants, and material failures where cooling-system performance is affected.
5. Operations and Condition Monitoring
Once a data centre becomes operational, the analytical focus shifts from establishing baselines to monitoring change over time. As data centres are designed for continuous operation, there’s sustained demands on power generation, cooling equipment, and the supporting infrastructure that keeps those systems running. Uptime Institute’s 2026 Annual Outage Analysis found 57 per cent of respondents said their most recent major outage cost more than $100,000 US, while one in five said their most recent impactful outage cost more than $1 million US. Given the potential cost of downtime, routine analysis is important to reveal abnormal wear, contamination, or degradation before changes develop into larger reliability issues.
For owners and operators, the cost of outages shows there’s an ongoing need for reliable data. Lubricant, fuel, and coolant analysis tracks equipment condition over time, while water and wastewater testing, emissions monitoring, and natural gas analysis may continue according to facility design and regulatory requirements. AGAT’s multidisciplinary model allows testing requirements to remain within one laboratory network as needs evolve through operations.
Analysis therefore becomes part of a facility’s long-term reliability strategy, giving maintenance teams objective data to make decisions, investigate emerging problems, and protect critical infrastructure in an environment where uptime is paramount.
AGAT Labs supports operations and condition monitoring for data centres with:
- Lubricants & Fuels Testing — provides recurring condition monitoring for generators, natural gas engines, pumps, compressors, turbines, and other lubricated equipment, as well as analysis of stored fuels and engine coolants.
- Environmental Chemistry — supports ongoing water, wastewater, and environmental monitoring where required by facility design or regulatory approvals.
- Air Quality Monitoring — supports operational emissions monitoring and source testing associated with onsite generation and other regulated equipment.
- Petroleum Testing — supports ongoing natural gas and fuel-quality analysis where dedicated generation or other energy infrastructure is used.
- Ultra-trace — provides specialized low-level contaminant analysis where changes in water or process chemistry require further investigation.
- Forensic Investigations / Core & Materials Testing — supports investigation of unexpected deposits, corrosion, contamination, and component failures when routine monitoring identifies an abnormal condition.
Data Centre Infrastructure Support Beyond Analysis
Beyond individual test results, in industrial and energy projects, laboratory data often informs broader decisions around emissions, carbon management, environmental performance, and long-term operational planning. AGAT’s carbon capture initiative reflects that broader role. In addition, in 2026 we launched the Carbon Management Hub, bringing together information on Albertan CCS and CCUS facilities, hubs, geological well data, and regulatory guidance to support project planning. For data centre developers considering dedicated generation or lower-carbon power infrastructure, that experience creates a direct connection between laboratory analysis and the broader energy systems supporting the facility.
Indigenous participation is another important part of Alberta’s approach to data centre development. The province’s AI Data Centre Strategy identifies economic reconciliation and Indigenous participation as priorities, while provincial development guidance notes some projects may require consultation with Indigenous Peoples.
AGAT has experience working alongside Indigenous communities and organizations on complex resource and environmental projects, including work with Raven 37-affiliated technicians supporting the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell project. More recent partnerships with Fort Nelson First Nation, Quatsino Band, Halfway River First Nation and North Coast-Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society have continued that work.
As large infrastructure projects affect land, water, resource development, and economic opportunities, Indigenous communities may therefore have rights that must be addressed through consultation, as well as opportunities to participate economically in the projects themselves. Alberta’s strategy positions that participation as part of how the province intends to develop its data centre sector.
Together, these capabilities broaden AGAT’s role beyond laboratory analysis alone. They position the company to support the wider technical, environmental, regulatory, and operational considerations that can emerge as a data centre moves from development into long-term operation.
Contact AGAT Labs for Analytical Testing Support for Data Centre Development
As investment in AI data centre infrastructure grows across Canada, the need for reliable analytical data will grow with it. From site assessment and construction through power, cooling, and long-term condition monitoring, testing becomes part of how owners and operators manage risk, verify performance, and maintain critical systems over time.
With laboratories in Alberta, B.C., Ontario and across Canada, AGAT is positioned to provide that support within one multidisciplinary laboratory network.
If you would like to learn more about AGAT’s experience supporting data centre and infrastructure projects, or to discuss analytical testing requirements, please contact your AGAT representative or complete the contact form here and we’ll be in touch shortly.
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