- Alberta confirms the 2% tax in computer hardware in massive data centers
- Data centers with loads of 75 megawatts or new upper face loads
- Levy is scheduled to begin on December 31, 2026 throughout the province
The Canadian province of Alberta has confirmed plans to enter a 2% tax in computer hardware used in large data centers.
The measure is scheduled to enter into force on December 31, 2026 and will be applied to the facilities with a load of at least 75 megawatts.
The Government indicates that the tax does not intend to become a permanent additional charge, since once a data center becomes profitable and begins to pay corporate taxes, the position will be compensated.
How the tax can affect operators
Large data centers depend on high performance systems, ranging from servers equipped with larger SSD matrices to storage racks optimized for cloud storage.
These facilities already operate in adjusted margins during the first years of implementation, when hardware expenses are in apogee.
A 2% position on this team could influence the calculations on where to build, particularly because rival jurisdictions in North America compete aggressively to attract investments.
If Alberta’s compensation mechanism is enough to reassure operators remains an open question.
However, the province has become a favorite destination due to its relatively cheap natural gas supplies, since more than two dozen proposals for data centers, for a total of more than 12,000 megawatts of demand, have already been presented to the Alberta electrical system operator.
This increase reflects the confidence in Alberta’s energy availability, but the tax introduces a new variable in decision making.
If the costs increase, the attraction of abundant energy can no longer be sufficient on its own to ensure new projects.
The tax is not Alberta’s first attempt to control the growth of the data center, as before in 2025, its provincial grid operator limited new connections for “large load projects” to 1,200 megawatts until 2028.
This decision caused the opposition of some indigenous communities, who argued that restrictions could prevent their own investments in digital infrastructure from pursuing.
When seen together with the new tax, such policies suggest a hardened regulatory environment that could complicate long -term planning for operators.
Alberta now faces a delicate balance because the tax could ensure that large -scale operators contribute more directly to provincial income.
It could also bring additional costs and restrictions that can lead companies to explore alternatives in other provinces or on the border.
Through Bloomberg
