Heat, jobs, language: Data centres fueling Indigenous communities

When an Indigenous community sets out to build a data centre on its land, it can reap the economic benefits of job stability and revenue consistency, but it can also save a language from being stolen or power a local swimming pool.

Ross Pambrun, Métis business leader and CEO of the Memphis Group, is an advocate for data centres that are managed and secured by the host nations. He says a data centre is not only a huge opportunity for data sovereignty, but also for managing environmental impact within a community.

He paints a picture of a community building a hydrogen plant for economic prosperity, while a data centre works in tandem to store operational data and community information. But, what about all of the heat that system is generating?

"Well, I often suggest to people, why don't you use that heat as an offset, to warm a community centre or a pool," says Pambrun. "As it offsets, that heat warms the community centre. All of a sudden, look at what you've created, you've now started to overcome a number of considerations, truth and reconciliation and the recognition of economic empowerment. You're building trust within that community."

This idea of energy working harmoniously in communities has been practised, in part, by some big data centre players like Equinix, which uses excess heat produced by select operations to warm certain buildings nearby. That being said, there is an opportunity for innovation in small communities, including Indigenous communities that are increasingly turning towards building their own data centres.

Data sovereignty and environmental stewardship

Data centres built locally help reassure nations that their communities are creating a space to keep data safe and ownership protected.

"When your data is being managed locally, you can control its security, and that is extremely important when it comes to data sovereignty," says Pambrun. "When it comes to the Indigenous communities, they are not yet fully integrated into those systems."

In 2027, the Woodland Cree Nation in Alberta will start construction on a natural gas-powered 650 MW data centre. This project is one of many upcoming data centres situated in Indigenous communities. Some are already underway.

Pambrun says historically, non-Indigenous companies have looked to reserves as optimal locations for cheaper land and cheaper energy. Yes, there is a benefit for the local government and residents in the form of jobs and economic security. Still, Pambrun says companies making deals with these communities must think about the role of many Indigenous people as environmental stewards.

Last year, the Malahat Nation on Vancouver Island announced a partnership with Energy Plug Technologies to build Canada's first Indigenous-led gigafactory. A joint statement released in August 2024 says the facility will help stabilise the electrical grid. Opening is set for the fourth quarter of this year.

Malahat Nation's gigafactory will feature systems that contribute to energy sustainability, according to a statement from the nation. "This is a strong example of Indigenous partnerships creating a bright future for Malahat members," said Chief Gordon Harry in a joint statement with Energy Plug.

Data centres don't have to be multi-billion-dollar operations either. In May, the Wiikwemkoong of Manatoulin Island received a data centre that resembles a beige-painted storage container. According to a report by CBC News, the storage will contain digital housing health records and other vital community information.

Language ownership

Language is another key factor in bringing data centres to Indigenous communities. From 2022 to 2032, UNESCO is supporting the Indigenous Languages Decade. The organisation aims to support governments and communities to preserve dying languages.

Of the 60 Indigenous languages spoken in Canada, recognised by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), 59 are considered endangered.

To combat this issue, the AFN created the National Action Plan for the empowerment and preservation of Indigenous languages in Canada. The final pillar of the plan, "Creating Lasting Legacies", aims to support the development, promotion and dissemination of "culturally adapted content" regarding Indigenous languages, whether it be online or through other media. Additionally, it hopes to support the growth of online resources that are backed by Indigenous data systems.

In the Government of Canada's "Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence" report, it documented concern expressed by some Indigenous communities over the unauthorised use of language in some AI models. That being said, some Indigenous participants said AI provides an opportunity to revitalise endangered languages. However, "non-Indigenous people may own the AI companies and tools that become vital to preserving Indigenous languages," stated the report.

Pambrun says protecting the core of a language keeps it from being exploited by other companies for profit.

"Once you've given that language away, it's no longer your information. You've provided it, and as a resource, it's gone. However, if you built your own data sovereignty, you would be within your centre...your oral traditions are being recorded in a space in a data centre," say Pambrun. "If Google comes along and says, 'well, we would love to include your language into our big translation models that make us a lot of money.' Absolutely, we welcome you to share that information, but there's a cost."

Image courtesy of Geoffrey Moffett on Unsplash.