Lessons in Innovative Thinking from Luxembourg

Let's hope a visit by a delegation from the tiny European duchy of Luxembourg sparks some creative and innovative thinking in B.C. A couple of weeks ago, a delegation from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg visited Vancouver to generate some interest for its newest industry. I know, I know: Luxembourg? A duchy (the only one in the world) that's approximately the size of a Vancouver suburb?

Server farm | BCBusiness
B.C. should consider serving closeby tech companies with infrastructure that powers the Web.

Let’s hope a visit by a delegation from the tiny European duchy of Luxembourg sparks some creative and innovative thinking in B.C.

A couple of weeks ago, a delegation from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg visited Vancouver to generate some interest for its newest industry.

I know, I know: Luxembourg? A duchy (the only one in the world) that’s approximately the size of a Vancouver suburb?

Well, yes. Luxembourg, for all its miniscule size, is one of Europe’s top financial centres. It’s also a business-friendly state that contains the most modern electronic equipment and some of the most modern technological methods in the world. It’s no surprise that it is the e-business centre of Europe.  

Of course, it helps that Luxembourgers speak two of the top languages in Europe as well as their own. It also helps that it’s beautifully located to serve most of Europe. But, mostly, Luxembourg created a robust economy that provides Europe’s highest per-capita income because it had the foresight and the will to do it.

And that’s where B.C.’s lesson should begin.

We’ve been moaning for some time about how our economy isn’t growing enough. I suggest that might be because we continue to look at existing industries as models instead of future ones. Hence the emphasis on oil pipelines, shipping and other industries tied to energy production.

But why can’t we be an e-business centre as well?

Think about it. We have the one thing that all e-businesses – startups and existing – need. No, it’s not financial smarts, even though we have that, and it’s not the creativity, although we have that as well.

It’s electrical power.

E-business takes place on the Web via massive server farms, spread around the world, and the Web takes place on computers, in the Cloud, and on mobile smartphones. None of these can work for e-business without electricity to power those servers.  

For a quick concept check, think about how much power it takes to run Amazon’s cloud-based operation.

Server farms require massive amounts of electricity to operate. They also require cold weather for a certain portion of the year to counteract the heat produced by endless racks of servers. B.C. has both, plus water and other natural benefits that we can put to use for futuristic businesses.

A good example of this industry already exists in Kelowna. RackForce has been operating a web infrastructure plant for some time, and counts some of America’s largest tech companies as clients.

Since many technology companies are relatively close to B.C., like in Seattle or the San Francisco area, why don’t we start thinking about serving them with infrastructure that powers the Web? Some of it already exists in Washington state, but there’s always going to be a need for more.

There will be problems with this thought line – there always are – but if we use a little creativity and have the will, it could work.

Then Great Big B.C. may have learned a lesson from teeny tiny Luxembourg.