The computer giant Microsoft has received construction permits for its data center in Lévis, a project that the company estimates at $200 million, and is close to obtaining it for the Saint-Augustin phase as well. -de-Desmaures.
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In 2021, Microsoft purchased Charny Golf Club. The transaction was eye-catching, particularly because the group had paid $20 million for the property, valued at $4.1 million, from the city of Lévis.
Archive photo
Last November, Microsoft announced a $700 million ($500 million) investment over two years to “expand its large-scale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Quebec.”
This investment will also increase the size of Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure across Canada by 750%,” the company said at the time.
On this occasion, Microsoft announced that it plans to start building data centers in the cities of Lévis, L'Ancienne-Lorette, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures and Donnacona “in the coming months”.
A satellite view of Charny Golf Club, which ceased operations in 2021, the year it was purchased by Microsoft. Screenshot from Google Maps
In January, Microsoft received approval to build an industrial building in Lévis at 2411 Avenue de la Rotonde, the address of the former golf club.
The permit application estimates the work to cost $200 million.
A network leader
The project is also in full swing in Saint-Augustin.
“If the permit has not yet been granted, it is close to being granted. It’s a matter of days or weeks,” revealed local mayor Sylvain Juneau.
“The file is complete. They requested minor exceptions and compliance with the architectural integration plan. “Everything has been resolved,” he added.
Microsoft originally applied for a million square meters of land for a data center.
“They have 400,000 square meters of land in the northern industrial park on Singapore Street, that's all I have left,” the mayor continues. It will therefore be a network manager to which the other centers will be connected. If one of them fails, another one takes over.”
Sylvain Juneau invoked a confidentiality clause with Microsoft not to reveal the value of the investment.
Be silent
The Journal was unable to confirm the news from the multinational company.
As for Lévis, despite the evidence submitted, the city said it would respond within 24 hours.
The Journal also contacted the office of the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, but he attended meetings throughout the day.
During Microsoft's announcement in November – and given Quebec's need to manage the power blocks needed for new industrial projects – Minister Fitzgibbon had a nuanced response.
“We said no to crypto. Data centers: If we want to bring something to Quebec companies that allows them to have products, we will be open to it. If it's data centers where people are putting it in the cloud just to do the cloud, that's less interesting,” he said.
– In collaboration with David Descôteaux
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