Information and communication technologies
Québec: Ideal for data centres
With its cool climate, a geographical location that protects it from natural disasters like major earthquakes, and abundant, affordable sources of energy, Québec is an ideal location for data centres.
Green, reliable and affordable energy
With an installed capacity of 36.9 GW and a storage capacity of 176 TWh, Québec is the largest producer of hydropower in Canada. Hydropower accounts for 99,8% of all energy produced in Québec. What’s more, it’s a green, renewable and affordable source of energy. What more could you want?
- Québec’s power grid, the largest in North America, is one of the most reliable and self-reliant systems in the world.
- North America’s power-transmission system is regulated according to the highest standards.
- Québec’s power grid is independent from neighbouring transmission systems and has been recognized by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation
(NERC) as a full interconnection since 2006.
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An ideal climate for data centres
Québec’s long winters and temperate summers make it easier to maintain proper server temperatures. For data centres, that’s essential. Cool air and nearby bodies of fresh water are important assets that facilitate equipment cooling, leading to substantial energy savings.
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Safety and security
Québec is located in a stable geological zone, in the northern reaches of the North American continental plate. This strategic geographical position protects the province from many natural disasters, making it an ideal spot for organizations concerned about protecting their data.
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A profusion of bandwidth providers
In Québec’s large cities, you’ll find enough bandwidth to meet your needs. The province has a large number of top-tier Internet providers, including Level 3
, Tata Communications and Verizon. -
Legislation that keeps personal data safe
In 2000, Canada passed the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. This law protects consumers by setting guidelines for access to personal information and requiring the industry to meet specific security standards.
Focus on Data Centres in Québec
In February 2018, Google officially opened its Montréal data centre, the American giant’s first such centre in Canada and the 15th of its kind in the world. Google was following in the footsteps of numerous multinationals that have chosen to do business in Québec, including France-based OVH, which opened the world’s largest data-hosting centre in Montréal in 2013. Québec’s biggest city is also home to data centres belonging to ROOT, Cogeco Data Services, the Toronto group Urbacon and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which selected Montréal as the site of its first Canadian data centre.
IBM opened its SoftLayer cloud-computing centre in Drummondville in 2015, while the multinational Ericsson innaugurated its data hosting and research centre in Vaudreuil-Dorion in late 2016.
“As the second-largest city in Canada, Montréal is a vital centre of commerce and technology. Canada is an important market for IBM Cloud services and this new facility will provide regional customers with the security, resiliency, and scalability for placing demanding workloads in the cloud.” Marc Jones, SoftLayer’s CTO.
