The Infrastructure Trap: Is Canada Building the Wrong Thing?

Canada is spending billions on AI infrastructure—data centres, compute capacity, sovereign clouds. But what if we're building the wrong thing?

In this episode, we examine a growing debate in Canadian AI policy. Daniel Wigdor argues that Canada's focus on data centres misses the bigger opportunity: building AI applications and companies. Mark Doble warns that billions spent on hyperscale infrastructure will soon face scrutiny. Meanwhile, globally, hyperscalers are spending $527 billion on AI infrastructure while generating only $25 billion in AI revenue—a gap that has investors nervous.

We break down the applied computing argument, Canada's IP drain problem (75% of AI patents go to tech giants), and whether Ottawa's infrastructure-first strategy will leave us as landlords in someone else's AI economy.

Plus: what to watch in 2026 as this debate intensifies.

TIMECODE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

0:00 - Introduction 0:45 - The Critique: Wigdor's Challenge to Infrastructure Spending 2:15 - The Applied Computing Argument 3:45 - The Counterargument: Government's Defense 4:30 - The Global Context: $527B Spending vs. $25B Revenue 5:45 - The Talent and IP Question 6:45 - What to Watch in 2026 7:30 - The Takeaway 8:15 - Outro