Disruptors

Digital Refineries: Data centres as Alberta’s new resource

October 7, 2026·25 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Alberta wants $100 billion of AI data centre investment within five years, without subsidies. Recorded live at Energy Disruptors: UNITE in Calgary, Alberta's Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, tells John Stackhouse why he sees data centres as "digital refineries" that turn natural gas into intelligence. He explains how bring-your-own-power rules protect the grid and ratepayers, why projects proposed for Sturgeon County and Olds ended so differently, and what a proposed second round of grid power could look like. A conversation about energy, AI and where Canada's computing power gets built. Chapters0:00 Live from Energy Disruptors: UNITE0:42 The mood shift on data centres4:42 Value-added economics8:33 The Alberta model: water, setbacks, Meta vs. Olds16:05 Exporting the intelligence17:55 The power queue and Phase 221:27 Sizing the opportunity22:36 Public opinion and responsible AIGuest: Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation, Government of AlbertaHost: John Stackhouse, Senior Vice-President, Office of the CEO, RBCRecent RBC Thought Leadership Reports:License to build: Unlocking Canada's data centre potential   CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:• Follow RBC Thought Leadership on LinkedIn• Follow John Stackhouse on LinkedIn• For more insights visit RBC Thought Leadership Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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