Goldfinch Technology Park is located within Wheatland County’s Goldfinch Area Structure Plan in the southwest area of the county.

The Government of Alberta released their AI Data Centre Strategy in 2024, noting the particular reasons why Alberta should be an investment hub for AI and data center end users. The favorable business climate makes Alberta an attractive location for new data center campuses. In addition, the Wheatland County Goldfinch Area Structure Plan sets the stage for industrial uses like data centers.

Diode Ventures is an established industrial real estate developer that has completed the land development process for nearly 2,000 acres of data center projects.  Our mission is to be a trusted development partner in all the communities where we work. Diode is a wholly owned subsidiary of Black & Veatch, a 110-year-old engineering, procurement and construction company that is 100% employee owned.  

Alongside the development process, Diode seeks to be a trusted community partner through creating transformative economic opportunities and ensuring community voices are heard, incorporated and preserved.  Once each project is sold to a technology firm, Diode continues to stay involved in the project to ensure adherence to zoning regulations, conditional approvals and development agreements.

What work have you done in Canada?
While Diode is new to the Canadian market, our partnerships are international. We have worked with companies all over the world, and we have contracted with companies in Alberta to support our development process. Diode is also supported by Black and Veatch’s 60+ year presence in Canada, which includes 1,600 individual projects in power, oil and gas, mining, telecommunications, renewables, water/wastewater treatment and consulting/environmental services.
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Community members are welcome to join Diode Ventures’ Open House at Carseland Community Hall on July 31^st from 5-8 pm. Additionally, community members are encouraged to attend public hearings or send us a message directly at goldfinchtechpark@diodeventures.com.

Data centers store, manage, and process the vast quantities of data and information which we have come to rely on in a connected world. When you swipe your credit card at a gas station, need an ambulance dispatched to an accident, send a prescription to the pharmacy, or post pictures from your latest family vacation to social media, it’s a data center that is responsible for processing, sending, and receiving all this information. Data centers are essential to many people’s modern lives, playing a critical role in ensuring the security, reliability, and availability of digital information and services.   Data center operators often take great care to design these facilities to blend in with their surroundings. Typically, data centers are no more than two stories tall and have an unassuming exterior, similar to a typical office or warehouse building. This is particularly true for large data center campuses, which are often master-planned and designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. To achieve this, natural buffers such as trees, shrubs, and berms are used to shield the data center from the public eye and reduce the visual impact of the facility. The goal is to create a facility that is both functional and efficient, while also being aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible.

How will you mitigate noise and light from the facility?

• Noise: Most modern data center campuses employ state of the art equipment designed to minimize the acoustical impact of the facility. This could include measures like sound attenuating walls, generator enclosures, and mufflers.
• Light: DarkSky International is a program designed to minimize light pollution. Many data center campuses use lighting approved by DarkSky including directional exterior lighting and only lighting areas that are necessary for safe and secure operations.

How will you mitigate visual impacts from the facility?
Being a good neighbor and having a safe, secure campus are two of the highest priorities for data center users. Having a buffer between neighbors and the data center buildings themselves create fewer visual impacts and a more secure environment for the operations of the facility.

Data centers bring new tax revenue to the communities where they are located, including the city and local school districts, as well as new jobs. Data centers generate tax revenue without straining essential services, like fire, police, and schools.

Data Center investment significantly increases the industrial tax base, relieving some burden on a community’s overall tax rate, and benefiting local residents and businesses.

Job Creation and Training
During peak construction the project could generate between a significant amount of construction jobs, including many skilled labor jobs such as electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals. While the selection of these professionals will be determined at a later stage, it is important to note that there is a benefit in choosing local professionals who have extensive experience in the community.  

Construction labor scopes include electrical, mechanical, plumbing, concrete, roofing, rough and finish carpentry, among many others in high demand.  Many data center operators also offer job training programs, like Google's STAR initiative, which equip community members with the skills needed for careers in trades or construction, further enhancing the workforce and fostering local talent development.

Once operational, it is estimated that the project could create between 50-100 full-time permanent jobs including engineers, maintenance professionals, security professionals and more.

Data center technicians and operators are highly skilled and compensated positions that require training. Many hyperscale end-users have robust workforce development programs available to launch in communities to digitally upskill and train local workers.