AI is experiencing significant levels of investment across a diverse range of sectors. In all successful tech innovations and optimising opportunities, the importance of development hubs such as the province of Alberta in Canada cannot be understated.
Furthermore, investments in tech are see more positive and exponential returns when they are supported by the necessary conditions for growth. It is essential to have a positive regulatory framework and ecosystem of established companies, universities, and supportive government policies.
Global investment trends in tech
In Q4 2025, the top five worldwide venture capital (VC) investments in terms of value were all in AI and in US-based companies, according to GlobalData.
Looking at the global picture, GlobalData recorded total VC investments valued at $96.8bn in Q4 2025, up 10% from Q3 2025. The technology, media and telecom (TMT) industry totalled $46.8bn from 954 deals.
North America was the leading region for VC investment, with approximately $61.6bn invested from 1,317 deals in Q4 2025. The majority of investment was in the US, but Canada could start to close the gap. In a time of international uncertainty for trade, the greater stability offered in Canada could be of significant appeal to investors, along with the favourable business conditions. For example, the province of Alberta has recently won the Golden Scissors Award from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) for its continuous commitment to cutting red tape. Since 2019, Alberta’s government has removed 220,000 unneeded regulations, saving businesses an estimated $3bn.
Another advantage in Canada is the availability of talent amid a global worker shortage, with Alberta being the Canadian province possessing the youngest population, averaging 39.2. Per capita, the province also has the highest number of professional engineers in North America, with 64.8% of Albertans aged 25-64 having completed a post-secondary programme. In a time where skilled workers are in demand, this offers an essential talent pool for businesses. Alberta is also home to three fintech unicorns – privately owned companies valued at more than $1bn – and others could follow.
Investment growth of data centres in Alberta
The development of AI requires the rapid expansion of data centres to meet soaring demand. Significant investments are underway in this area, including in Alberta. Provided all planned data centre projects develop as intended, GlobalData predicts a peak of construction spending globally in 2027 at $428.8bn.
Among the major tech firms, GlobalData reported combined capital expenditure (CAPEX) of $245bn in 2024 from Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. Analysts from GlobalData predicted this could surpass $360bn in 2025, highlighting that AI investments were largely responsible for driving this growth, with a need to build data centres and equip them with advanced chips.
In Alberta, regulations have been designed to streamline investments. Data centres are also a core strategic focus in the Canadian province. Companies taking advantage of the optimum conditions in Alberta also include Amazon and Microsoft. Alongside this, Canadian company eStruxture is investing an estimated C$1bn to build one of the largest data centres in Alberta, with the 90MW facility due to launch in 2026. eStruxture is also advancing the next phase of its expansion in Alberta, with plans to bring significant additional capacity online over the next few years, at a scale in the hundreds of megawatts.
To accommodate the substantial electricity demands, Alberta has been expanding and modernising its grid capacity. The target was to reach 5GW by the end of 2025, and there are plans for further additions. Other appealing approaches for data centres in Alberta include the bring-your-own-power (BYOP) initiative, which enables businesses to benefit from Alberta’s status as Canada’s energy capital with reliable and diverse energy resources.
Alongside the necessary energy infrastructure, Alberta has the large expanses of land available to house data centres that potentially span many acres. The cooler climate in many parts of the province is an added benefit for data centres looking to save on cooling costs associated with operations.
The tech ecosystem in Alberta
Beyond AI and data centres, Alberta is home to an varied mix of other technologies. Alberta’s fintech sector is growing in recognition around the world, with its three fintech unicorns already established. The province is home to 150 fintech companies that vary in size, providing solutions that include insurtech, paytech, and weathtech, as well as crypto and blockchain. Calgary and Edmonton are established financial services hubs with a track record of innovation.
With food security at the top of the global agenda and a strategic priority for Alberta, AgTech solutions developed in the province are optimising production processes. In Alberta, AgTech innovators are turning concepts into reality to bridge the gap between technology and human understanding of farming at specific sites. Alberta’s AgTech industry supports farmers in the province to meet production needs and create opportunities for exports. In August 2025, innovations were boosted through the government allocation of C$5m to support the development of centres focused on crop diversification.
Another key area of innovation in Alberta is in healthtech, which is already enabling the transformation in treatments and accelerating diagnostics through AI tools and other advances. Development of healthcare AI in the province is bolstered by data access facilitated by the Government of Alberta, which also enables public and private collaborations among healthcare providers.
The University of Calgary is advancing machine learning capabilities in diagnostics for people who have had a stroke or have age-related conditions. Meanwhile, the University of Alberta’s AI + Health Hub furthers applications in diagnostics, drug discovery, and hospital management.
Development of quantum technologies in Alberta
Looking further ahead, quantum capabilities have the potential to dramatically transform data processing and calculations. Qubits facilitate data transfer and calculations at unrivalled speeds. There are also potential applications in navigation and communications systems, as well as cybersecurity to offer virtually unhackable levels of encryption.
While commercial opportunities for quantum tech are currently limited, Alberta is creating a specialist ecosystem to lay the foundations for future quantum advances. The ecosystem comprises universities, startups, and government, with full support from Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
A C$25m initiative in the province is Quantum Horizons Alberta (QHA), which is furthering scientific understanding of the area through leading researchers from the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Lethbridge.
Furthermore, in March 2025 the University of Calgary saw the opening of the Quantum City’s 17,400ft2 qHub to further quantum R&D. Quantum City was founded in 2022 with more than C$100m from public and private funding through a partnership of the University of Calgary, Government of Alberta, and tech company Mphasis. The Lethbridge Quantum Computing Super Hub is another important site for furthering understanding of the tech in Alberta.
Research-driven investments in Alberta
Successful tech innovations all begin with research. And when it comes to research, Alberta has a track record of providing the environment to succeed. The University of Alberta and the University of Calgary are two leading research locations for tech innovations in North America, with notable startups and spinout companies produced at each institution.
The competitive market in Alberta provides innovations with a vital opportunity to test whether they are viable commercially and have sufficient demand. Once innovations are proven at a commercial level in Alberta, there is a strong indication that these businesses will succeed in other markets. In fact, there is an established pathway of tech innovations developed in Alberta that then expand into larger markets.
Crucially, regulations in Alberta have all been designed to simplify investment processes. Approximately 200,000 regulatory requirements have been removed to date, delivering savings that exceed C$2.9bn.
This multitude of strengths in Alberta all create the necessary conditions to optimise tech investment opportunities, develop innovations, and achieve business growth.
To learn more about the key tech innovations in Alberta, the investment opportunities, and leading companies, download the document below.
