Protexxa Sault Ste. Marie

Protexxa Sault Ste. Marie is a proposed cybersecurity monitoring and training facility located in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. The project, a partnership between cybersecurity company Protexxa and Missanabie Cree First Nation, includes an AI-powered data center intended to identify and resolve cyber issues for organizations and governments. The facility is planned to be between 100,000 and 160,000 square feet and is described as an operations center with a data center component of less than five megawatts, rather than a large hyperscale data center. Protexxa states its mission is to enhance cybersecurity by helping businesses find and fix vulnerabilities. The project is expected to create between 200 and 1,000 jobs upon full operation. While approved by city council, the property sale is still pending, with the company conducting due diligence and fundraising. Environmental concerns, including water usage and electricity consumption, have been raised by some residents, though city officials suggest the facility's demand will be less than that of larger data centers. Protexxa is exploring methods like snow usage for cooling to mitigate fresh water consumption.