Goldfinch Technology Park is an approximately 575-acre proposed data center development located within Wheatland County’s Goldfinch Industrial Park.
Goldfinch Technology Park is located within Wheatland County’s Goldfinch Area Structure Plan in the southwest area of the county.
Site selection is one of the most critical parts of the development process and several factors are analyzed to ensure an appropriate fit for both the proposed data center and the community where the project is located. Some of these considerations include, but are not limited to, power availability and supporting infrastructure, buildable land, and future land use plans.
A significant contributing factor to the selection of the proposed Goldfinch data center site is its inclusion within the Goldfinch Industrial Park ASP. The ASP was initially created in 2018 with the direction of the Council to designate an area to spur industrial development and employment opportunities. The area was chosen by Wheatland County based on an existing industial development, access to transportation networks, and compliance with the County's strategic plan. The ASP provides a framework for diverse industrial develpments and optimally located supporting uses that are a framework for sensitive to adjacent landowners and natural open spaces, ensuring that the rural character of Wheatland County is maintained. The location of the prosed site is in congruence with the stated intentions of future development and current planning strategies.
Beyond the local context of the industrial park, 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.
What is Diode’s role in the development process?
Diode’s role is to act as a land use developer to ensure a potential site can offer end users what they need to construct and operate a data center. Often times our work involves rezoning land to meet industrial zoning requirements, and most government entities include requirements around such items as water usage, site setbacks and noise control as part of their zoning approval process. Diode has worked with all the major technology companies, and we have a familiarity with their processes in full data center build out, sustainability initiatives and community engagement. Diode stays involved with the end user to ensure all local, state and federal regulations are met.
Diode has submitted Area Concept Plan (ACP), Area Structure Plan (ASP) Amendment, and Land Use Bylaw Amendment applications with Wheatland County. This is the first step in the development process.
Should the land use applications be approved by the Council, Diode will continue to work with the county, the Alberta Electric Systems operator (AESO), and the ultimate data center operator to determine the detailed design to submit development permit applications with the county. This development permit application will include the site plan, landscaping plan, floor plans, noise studies, and any additional studies requested by the county to be reviewed and approved for next steps. This application will include power and water usage details, building count, and construction timelines, and will detail the actions that will be taken to minimize impacts to the community.
Once a development permit application has been reviewed and approved by the county, a building permit will be requested to begin construction. The average data center development takes approximately 24 months to begin operations between construction and commissioning.
Community members can contact the development team directly at goldfinchtechpark@diodeventures.com.
Community members are encouraged to refer to this webpage for further updates.
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?
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.
Diode is working closely with the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) to understand how much power can be made available for the Goldfinch Technology Park development and by when that power can be utilized. The ongoing detailed studies will determine what upgrades the power grid will need to undergo to service this project. The project will pay for all necessary power grid upgrades. Based on the timing of study applications, we are hopeful in receiving a preliminary answer in early 2026.
As we receive answers on available power and necessary infrastructure upgrades from AESO, we will be able to better understand the power delivery schedule, or in other words, how much power the project will receive from the grid in different phases. Energy scheduling is important to ensure the delivery of power maintains grid reliability for all users. If the project requires new or upgraded infrastructure, these costs are the responsibility of the project and built into the delivery schedule.
Modern data centers have multiple strategies to cool the computer equipment inside the building, and these strategies can be optimized to minimize impacts to the local community. The exact cooling strategy for the data center will be determined at the development permit stage. The following are examples of types of cooling strategies that other data center projects have used:
Air cooled solutions use air conditioner units similar to residential or commercial systems to blow cool air into the data center. The systems can use ambient, outdoor air when the temperatures are cold, or they can use the air conditioning units to manufacture cold air. This system would only use water for domestic purposes like washrooms and water fountains.
Water-cooled systems use water to absorb heat from servers and then release it through cooling towers or chillers. They work by circulating water through pipes to pick up heat and then evaporating or chilling it to cool the system. Most of the water is evaporated in the process and needs to be replenished regularly, creating the most water intensive option.
Closed loop cooling solutions are newer and combine the pros of a water-cooled solution while minimizing the volume of water used, and these types of solutions are becoming more popular. The initial liquid is drawn into the data center where it runs through a piping system to cool the data center components. Once the liquid has warmed, it is sent to a cooling unit to release the heat and then it is sent back into the data center systems to be used again.
When exploring cooling system design, Alberta’s naturally cold climate is a technical advantage for this project. The cold outside air serves as a natural cooling system, allows for increased water conservation, and increases energy efficiency by reducing reliance on HVAC and chillers. Ultimately, the climate allows for increased flexibility in cooling strategy selection. While the exact solution is still being explored, this project will not use any water from the local aquifer – any water used for cooling purposes will come from another source in coordination with Wheatland County.
Data center jobs can be thought of in two categories, long-term construction and permanent operations.
Data centers generate a significant amount of construction jobs, including many skilled labor jobs such as electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals. Data center operators often pursue local professionals and vendors 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 dozens to hundreds of 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. This includes K-12 curriculum development, STEM grants for schools, vocational training for adults, and partnerships with higher education institutes.
Data center development and operation is a considerable investment, both in dollars and workforce training, and therefore requires long-term partnership with the community. This partnership creates generational job opportunities, either directly with the data center or in indirect, related industries.
Data centers bring new tax revenue and jobs to the communities where they are located. 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.
This website page will be regularly updated, but for more information, please use our Contact page or email GoldfinchTechnologyPark@DiodeVentures.com.
