# Canada's signals intelligence agency plans a data centre worth up to $1.8 billion

> A Defence Construction Canada notice points to a new Ottawa-area facility for the Communications Security Establishment.

- Published: 2026-10-15T16:00:00.000Z
- By: The Circuit Staff
- Type: News
- Topics: Security, Policy
- URL: https://thecircuit.ca/posts/2026-10-15-cse-ottawa-data-centre/

The federal government is planning a data centre in the Ottawa area for the **Communications Security Establishment (CSE)**, Canada's signals intelligence agency. The cost is pegged at $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, according to a Defence Construction Canada notice first reported by CTV News Ottawa and [covered by MobileSyrup](https://mobilesyrup.com/2026/10/15/feds-data-centre-ottawa/).

CSE says the project supports its "mid- to long-term objectives" and ties it to broader defence investments, to "modernize the secure infrastructure and capabilities needed" for national security. It declined to share technical requirements. There's no timeline yet; it depends on finalized plans.

The notice landed alongside $500 million in new federal AI funding. It also came about a month after Ottawa released a data centre framework that isn't legally binding on companies like Google, Microsoft, Bell and Telus.

**Why it matters:** As the government builds up sovereign compute and national security capacity, more of Canada's most sensitive data will run in facilities it controls rather than in U.S. clouds. The trade-off is cost and power demand. Expect questions about energy use and oversight as the project moves forward.