This U.S. county has more than 200 data centres. Here’s the advice it has for Alberta

This U.S. county has more than 200 data centres. Here’s the advice it has for Alberta

One of the world’s top data centre destinations has some words of wisdom for Alberta as it seeks its own AI boom. “The bill will come due if they’re not asking the right questions now,” says Juli Briskman. Briskman is a district supervisor in Loudoun County, Va., otherwise known as data centre alley. It’s a region where the data centres are numerous and – in some cases – nestled right into the daily life of residents who pass them on the way to the post office, restaurants, health centres and schools. Loudon became the epicentre of the industry’s development more than 25 years ago and is now reaping some of those rewards. The county reports that its 233 data centres generated $1.2 billion in revenue in the 2026 fiscal year, representing 39 per cent of the county’s overall budget. “They create great revenue, and it’s undeniable the amount of revenue that Loudoun County has been able to enjoy because of the data centre industry,” Briskman told CTV News Edmonton. “But the scales have tipped to the point where the community is like, ‘Wait a minute, we’re seeing too many of these data centres.’” The Government of Alberta has touted data centres as a way to capitalize on the province’s natural gas assets, turning the fuel beneath our feet into compute power – and cash. “Natural gas is going to be foundational to underpinning the growth of data centre development, and we’re sitting on.