Data Centers in Montreal

Montreal – North America's Hydro-Powered Hub

Montreal is a premier North American market for businesses requiring low-cost, sustainable power and excellent connectivity to both Canadian and U.S. East Coast markets. The city's combination of affordable hydroelectric power and a dense network ecosystem provides a reliable, high-performance environment for compute-intensive workloads. This positions Montreal as a strategic choice for enterprises focused on scaling infrastructure while managing operational costs and environmental impact.

Montreal: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Montreal has a rich and mature connectivity landscape, making it a key interconnection point in Eastern Canada. The city's strategic location provides low-latency routes to major hubs like Toronto and New York City.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Montreal supports a healthy ecosystem with over 33 network carriers operating in the metro, as of September 2025. The market features numerous carrier-neutral facilities, giving customers ample choice for creating resilient network solutions.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: With over 11 cloud on-ramps available from 13 cloud regions, as of September 2025, Montreal offers excellent private access to major platforms. Direct connectivity is available to AWS, Google Cloud (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): The primary exchange is the Montreal Internet Exchange (QIX), which facilitates efficient local traffic peering, reducing latency and transit costs for connected networks. Most significant peering occurs within major data centers.

Bare Metal: Bare metal server options are widely available in Montreal. Providers like OVHcloud and phoenixNAP offer dedicated server solutions for workloads requiring direct hardware access and consistent performance.

Power Analysis

Montreal's power infrastructure is a primary driver of its data center market, offering both cost savings and sustainability benefits.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity rates are among the lowest in North America, estimated between C$0.05 and C$0.07/kWh as of September 2025. This significant cost advantage makes Montreal highly attractive for high-density deployments like AI and HPC.

Power Grid Reliability: The grid is exceptionally reliable, drawing primarily from Quebec's vast hydroelectric resources. Data center corridors are served by well-engineered infrastructure with multi-substation support, ensuring high levels of uptime.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Montreal provides a strategic base for accessing North American markets while benefiting from a favorable local business environment.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are located with convenient access to downtown Montreal, serving the city's vibrant technology, gaming, visual effects, and life sciences industries. This proximity enables low-latency connections essential for real-time applications.

Regional Market Reach: The city serves as a digital gateway for Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Its robust network infrastructure also offers low-latency connectivity to over 100 million people across the U.S. Northeast, including Boston and New York.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: While Canada does not offer specific federal tax incentives for data centers, businesses may qualify for broader investment tax credits or R&D programs. The primary financial advantage remains the extremely low operational cost of power.

Natural Disaster Risk

Montreal 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 key advantage for critical infrastructure planning and business continuity.

The region's primary natural hazards are related to weather and geology, though the probability and intensity are low compared to other North American hubs. Key risks to consider include:

• River Flood: Score of 7.1
• Tsunami: Score of 5.7 (Indirect risk from distant events)
• Coastal Flood: Score of 5.4 (Indirect risk)
• Earthquake: Score of 4.8
• Tropical Cyclone: Score of 2.3