Canada ranks 14th among the world’s 25 largest data-centre investment hubs for risk of damage from climate-driven extreme weather, according to a new report from Sydney-based analytics firm Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI). The study examined 2,595 planned data centres globally and found Canada ranked ahead of both the U.S. (23rd) and the U.K. (24th). (The Logic)

Talking point: While Canada is not typically viewed as a major heat-risk market for data centres, XDI identified it as one of three countries—alongside Australia and France—facing some of the fastest projected growth in heat-related operational risks. The report found that 11 per cent of Canada’s 37 planned data centres would be considered high-risk under low-resilience engineering standards, though that figure falls to three per cent with more advanced resilience measures. It identified surface-water flooding as the primary climate threat. Alberta ranked 23rd globally among subnational jurisdictions for climate-related damage risk and British Columbia ranked 29th. XDI projects average damage risk to Canadian data centres could increase by 145 per cent between 2026 and 2100.