Data Centers in Ottawa

Ottawa – Canada's Secure Digital Capital

Ottawa stands as a premier market for organizations that cannot compromise on security, stability, or data sovereignty. Home to Canada's federal government and a thriving technology sector in Kanata North, the city's infrastructure is built for resilience. Deploying in Ottawa provides a strategic advantage for government workloads, regulated industries, and any enterprise where uptime and data integrity are critical business functions.

Ottawa: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Ottawa provides a stable and secure network environment, ideal for government and enterprise operations. While not a primary interconnection hub like Toronto, its ecosystem is robust and well-suited for high-availability workloads.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: The Ottawa market is served by over 10 network carriers, as of September 2025. This provides ample choice for creating redundant connectivity within the 14 colocation facilities available.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: There are no direct public cloud on-ramps within Ottawa data centers, as of September 2025. Secure, private connections to all major cloud providers are established via dedicated circuits to nearby hubs in Montreal and Toronto.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Public peering is limited within Ottawa. Most traffic exchange occurs through private peering arrangements or is routed through the Toronto Internet Exchange (TorIX), one of the largest IXPs in North America.

Bare Metal: Bare metal server options are available from multiple providers in the region. Global suppliers like Hivelocity and OVHcloud can serve customers requiring dedicated, non-virtualized compute.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity rates in Ottawa are competitive, generally falling within C$0.14–C$0.17/kWh, as of September 2025. This pricing predictability helps with long-term operational cost forecasting. The grid mix is favorable, composed of over 79% non-fossil fuel sources, primarily hydro and nuclear power.

Power Grid Reliability: As the nation's capital, Ottawa benefits from a highly stable and well-maintained power grid. Data centers are typically supported by redundant power feeds from separate substations, ensuring exceptional reliability for mission-critical operations.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers in Ottawa are strategically located to serve the federal government, the Department of National Defence, and the Kanata North technology park—Canada's largest. This proximity is critical for applications requiring low-latency connections to government agencies and tech innovators.

Regional Market Reach: Ottawa is a key digital hub for Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Its location along the dense Quebec City–Windsor Corridor allows it to effectively serve a massive population and economic zone.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: While Ottawa does not offer specific tax incentives for data center development, Canada's federal tax structure can be advantageous. The country's favorable capital cost allowance rates can help accelerate depreciation on IT hardware and infrastructure investments.

Natural Disaster Risk

Ottawa has a low overall risk profile for natural disasters, with an INFORM Risk score of 2.7 out of 10, as of September 2025. This stability is a significant advantage for businesses requiring maximum uptime and operational continuity.

The primary natural hazards to consider are:

• River Flood: The highest individual risk factor, particularly for facilities near the Ottawa or Rideau rivers.
• Earthquake: A low but present risk, as the region is part of the Western Quebec Seismic Zone.
• Tropical Cyclone: Extremely low risk of significant impact from remnant storm systems.
• Drought: A very minor risk factor for the region.