Canada’s artificial intelligence minister says the Liberal government is aware of risks involved in a major investment in AI data centres in British Columbia, but taking such chances are necessary for the country to remain competitive globally.

Evan Solomon and Vancouver-based telecom giant Telus announced the plans for three B.C. facilities on Monday in what’s described as a bid to boost Canada’s sovereign computing and artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

The two in Vancouver and one in the Interior city of Kamloops represent an attempt to create what Telus calls “one of the world’s most powerful and sustainable AI infrastructure clusters.”