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ARTICLE · 14 OCTOBER 2026

Powering Intelligence: Secured Lending In The AI Infrastructure Economy

Aird & Berlis LLP
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As artificial intelligence adoption surges across Canadian enterprises—from 6.1% to 19.2% in just two years—the infrastructure demands are creating unprecedented opportunities in AI data centre development. Meta's $13-billion Alberta facility signals Canada's emergence as a major player, but what legal and commercial complexities must lenders, sponsors and investors navigate in this capital-intensive asset class?

CanadaFinance and Banking
Katie Bell
Katie Bell
Michael Cappabianca
Michael Cappabianca
Justin Dylan Lim
Justin Dylan Lim
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Artificial intelligence (“AI”) is rapidly moving beyond experimentation and into broad enterprise adoption at remarkable speeds. Once confined largely to niche technology companies, research institutions and startups, AI now sits at the centre of many traditional industries, reshaping sectors such as financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy and professional services, while creating ripple effects across global markets. Statistics Canada reported that AI adoption among Canadian businesses increased from 6.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 to 12.2 per cent a year later. By Q2 2026, adoption rates had reached 19.2 per cent.1

This acceleration is reshaping demand across the AI value chain. Beyond software, talent and data, companies now require the physical infrastructure capable of supporting AI at scale, making AI Data Centres (as defined below) one of the most capital-intensive asset classes in the market.2 Canada is emerging as a serious contender in

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