Telus' Data centre in Vancouver: Water and power

CTV is reporting that "Two new large-scale data centres are set to break ground in Vancouver this year. 

There are 16 data centres already dotted around Vancouver, with a majority located in the downtown core and Mount Pleasant. They have various purposes, with some serving as colocation centers - where retail customers can rent equipment and bandwidth - and others purpose-built for AI."

"The two new data centres coming to Vancouver, a joint project between telecommunications giant Telus and the federal government, are meant to improve and increase the scale of Canada’s sovereign AI infrastructure, Telus said Monday. The project was proposed under the federal government’s AI initiatives introduced in 2025 that support the development of these large-scale data centres."

"The second data centre is set to be built right beside BC Place. The renderings show a 10-storey building with a potential for the utilization of 100 megawatts at any given time, which is the same amount of power needed to run approximately 500 homes for a full year."

If these data centers generate massive amounts of heat, why can't we turn that heat into power? In nuclear reactors, the reactors create heat which boils water and turns a turbine. If these data centers crate heat, they can boil water and turn turbines without nuclear reactions. 

Can't you use salt water from the ocean to cool them? You could get the water from the ocean and you could release the waste water back into the ocean because it wouldn't be radioactive.

All these colossal drains on the power grid are a concern. Banning gas cars and forcing us into electric vehicles then conserving electricity for AI means restricting your mobility rights. If you're going to build these massive AI data centers then stop banning cars and stop banning natural gas.