Companies targeting two sites they claim could eventually total 1.5GW of capacity
Jet.AI Inc., a company pivoting from aviation software and services into data centers, is planning a new natural gas-powered facility in Canada as part of a joint venture with a GPU cloud provider.
The company this week announced that it and Consensus Core Technologies, a Canadian provider of GPU infrastructure and AI cloud services, have executed a definitive agreement to jointly develop a phased hyperscale data center campus in Midwestern Canada.
The Midwestern project has a 2MW data center live today; the pair is targeting an initial capacity of 100MW, before eventually expanding to 500MW.
"We're creating an AI factory optimized for the next generation of AI workloads," said Wayne Lloyd, CEO of Consensus Core. "This site's energy advantages and infrastructure positioning provide the foundation for hyperscale AI deployment that customers demand."
The companies said the site location remains “confidential,” but noted the planned campus is located near the largest natural gas pipeline in North America, with a nearby substation and a high-capacity electrical transmission line crossing the property. Fiber access is reportedly less than a mile away.
Jet.AI founder and executive chairman Mike Winston said: “Sites like these - where power, cooling, and scale all line up-are more valuable than ever. Were it not for the shale boom in the US and the rise in the number of domestic renewable power projects, much of the natural gas and electricity sitting idle at this northern site would have already been sold south on long-term contracts. But times change. Today, that same stranded and underpriced energy can be tapped at the source. Add in the bonus of frigid Canadian air, which helps cool servers for free, and you’ve got a site that’s hard to beat for AI infrastructure.”
Founded in 2018, Jet.AI previously developed solutions for the aviation industry, including booking apps and B2B operator platforms. It also offered jet aircraft fractions [akin to a timeshare on private aircraft], on-fleet charter, management, and buyer's brokerage.
Earlier this year, the company said it was selling its aviation business and pivoting to developing data centers – with a 50MW development planned on a 120-acre site in Las Vegas, Nevada. Company founder Winston has said that the site could reach 1GW at full build-out.
Consensus Core currently offers services from a Cologix data center in Montreal, Canada, offering access to Nvidia H100 GPUs. The company claims to have access to 40+ data centers across 12 key markets across North America; Cologix operates around 40 data centers in a dozen markets across North America, suggesting a partnership.
Jet.AI and Consensus Core first announced plans to form a joint venture in late April. As well as the Midwestern site, the companies are targeting a second Canadian development, known as the Maritime project. The second site reportedly has 40MW of capacity immediately available, 100MW in the near term, and up to 1GW long term.
Under the deal with Consensus, Jet.AI aims to contribute up to $20 million in the Midwestern project for a 17.5 percent stake, growing to around 20 percent in tranches as the project reaches certain milestones. The company is aiming to have an initial eight percent stake in the joint venture’s holding company, rising to 19.9 percent with future investment.
Consensus Core is contributing 100 percent of the equity of the Midwestern and Maritime projects to the joint venture.
The JV also intends to acquire another 100 acres adjacent to the existing Midwestern site and acquire power from an unnamed power producer to develop a wind farm for that campus.
