Canadian data center firm Beacon AI Centers has appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO).
The company this week announced that Josh Schertzer, former chief technology officer (CTO) of enterprise technology at Blackstone, has joined the company as CEO.
“I’m thrilled to join Beacon as CEO and lead the evolution of our state-of-the-art AI data centers across North America,” Schertzer said. “We’ve built a world-class team that will tackle the toughest challenges holding back AI infrastructure development and deliver much-needed compute capacity to hyperscalers at speed and scale.”
Schertzer had been with Blackstone since 2008, joining Nadia Partners and Beacon in April.
“Josh’s distinguished career speaks for itself,” said Aidan Kehoe, founder and managing partner of Nadia Partners, Beacon’s originating fund. “As the world enters a new era of AI-driven infrastructure, it requires a leadership style that is both strategic and operationally precise. Josh brings exactly that- making him exceptionally well-equipped to drive Beacon forward in this pivotal moment.”
Venture capital firm Nadia Partners launched Beacon AI Centers (also known as Beacon Data Centers) at the turn of the year.
Beacon AI Centers said it plans to energize sites in Alberta as early as 2027. The company said its portfolio includes data centers near Chestermere, High River, Acheson, Sturgeon County, Langdon, and Beaumont, Alberta.
The firm said it has further expansion plans in other jurisdictions planned during 2026, and a total development pipeline of 4.9GW across North America.
On its website, Beacon currently lists plans for 4.5GW of capacity across Alberta, with some 2,500+ acres of optioned land with energy and grid connectivity.
An AESO document from April 2024 suggests Beacon is planning to construct at least five AI data hubs that will consume more than 1.2GW of power, with three of these projects already in the AESO queue at the time.
Beacon is planning a 400MW, 946-acre data center campus outside Indus (located east of Calgary and close to Langdon) in Rocky View County via a CA$4bn (US$2.84bn) investment alongside a solar farm. The company was previously targeting a December 2026 energization date.
The company is also planning to develop a facility along 128 Street E and 498 Avenue E outside High River in Foothills County, to the south of Calgary. Alberta’s list of major projects suggests that the site will also total 400MW.
According to Alberta’s list of major projects, Beacon is planning a 400MW site known as the Hary Smith Artificial Intelligence Hub between Keephills and Duffield in Parkland County to the west of Edmonton. Another 400MW site is planned east of Edmonton in Strathcona County. Another site, also set to offer 400MW, is planned further south, close to Edmonton Airport in Leduc County. Each site will reportedly include hundreds of megawatts of on-site energy generation capacity.
Beacon's website also notes that a 150MW project is under exploration in Texas, as well as a 200MW project on Canada’s East Coast in New Brunswick. Further details weren't shared.
