Microsoft has broken ground on a new data center in Quebec, Canada.

"Microsoft began construction for the first phase of development of the L’Ancienne-Lorette data center in June, 2024," the company recently announced. "The data center construction site is located in the City of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Canada."

L'Ancienne-Lorette is a suburb to the west of Quebec City.

Specifications of the facility weren't shared.

The company said the work currently being undertaken includes preparing the site for construction; tree cutting, demolition, fencing, and site grading. The next phase is foundation work and other excavation activities.

"We anticipate that construction will be completed by early 2026," Microsoft added.

Microsoft currently has two Canadian Azure regions; one in Toronto, Ontario, and one in Quebec City. Both opened in 2016. Currently, the Quebec region operates with only one availability zone.

Microsoft announced a large expansion of its footprint in Canada in late 2022, with multiple new data centers planned in Quebec.

The company said it would be investing US$500 million in expanding its cloud computing and AI infrastructure in the Canadian province.

New facilities were planned in L’Ancienne-Lorette, Donnacona, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, and Lévis.

Construction was originally due to start within "months" of the 2022 announcement.