Page 54 - InvestAlberta-EDA-2025

AT A GLANCE
Calgary’s Tech Hub
Calgary’s tech sector is booming, with
a 61 per cent growth in talent between
2017 and 2022, making it an attractive
destination for global companies.
Fortinet, headquartered in California,
with offices on every continent (except
Antarctica), is just the latest company to
invest in Calgary’s thriving tech industry.
A leader in cybersecurity, Fortinet
plans to open its first Alberta office in
downtown Calgary, bringing 100 jobs to
the city by the end of 2025.
With support from Invest Alberta,
Calgary Economic Development and a
$3 million grant from the Government of
Alberta’s Innovation and Growth Fund,
the company is building a $30-million
data centre, training facility and a centre
for excellence to enhance cybersecurity
knowledge — creating a cutting-edge tech
hub and solidifying Calgary’s role as a key
player in the global technology industry.
Robot Farmers
The word “robot” may make most
people think of C-3PO. Today, robots
aren’t just seen on the big screen; they’re
transforming industries.
At Olds College of Agriculture and
Technology, an hour north of Calgary,
students are innovating farming by
integrating robotics into agricultural
processes. At the college’s Smart Farm,
programs like the DOT Power Platform —
a self-driving vehicle that sprays, seeds and
applies nutrients on crops — are making
farming more efficient. Olds College is
the only post-secondary institution in the
world to use this platform, positioning it as
a leader in agri-tech innovation.
In partnership with industry leaders,
the college collects and shares valuable
data from the DOT system, contributing
to advancements that make farming
more efficient, sustainable and ready for
the future.
WONDER (VALLEY) OF THE WORLD
The world’s largest artificial
intelligence data centre is slated
to be built in the Grande Prairie
region — thanks to a partnership
between the Municipal District of
Greenview and O’Leary Ventures,
headed by one of Canada’s
most recognizable millionaire
business leaders, Kevin O’Leary.
The Wonder Valley Data Centre
will be located in the Greenview
Industrial Gateway, south of Grande
Prairie, representing a $70 billion
investment. Designed to store and
process massive amounts of digital
information, it will help power the
rapidly expanding AI industry. In
addition to positioning the region
as a hub for tech talent, the project
will create significant economic
opportunities, including construction
jobs and infrastructure development.
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INVEST IN ALBERTA 2 0 2 5 EDAAlberta.ca
3,319
Direct jobs created in Alberta, supporting
91 companies
>1,900
Tech start-ups are in Alberta
$1.272 BILLION
Of venture capital investment into Alberta
technology companies
$707 MILLION
Amount of venture capital funds received
by Alberta-based companies in 2023
$17.1 BILLION
Of Alberta’s gross domestic product is
contributed by the professional, scientific
and technical services sector in 2022
PERCENTAGE OF TECH
COMPANIES IDENTIFIED IN
ALBERTA BY SECTOR
55.6%
ICT (Information and
Communities Technology)
10.9%
Health and Life Science
9.9%
Clean Tech
7.3%
Business Products and Services
5.9%
Industrial and Manufacturing
4.6%
Agribusiness
4.5%
Other
1.4%
Energy and Mining
0
Sources: Alberta Enterprise, Statistics Canada
BY THE NUMBERS