Bell AI Fabric: Building Canada's Largest AI Data Centre

Bell AI Fabric and the Government of Saskatchewan are partnering to build a new AI data centre in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood.

It will provide 300 MW of power and the move is described by Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) to be supportive of Saskatchewan's long term economic growth and diversification goals.

As Bell's largest ever investment in Saskatchewan, constructing what will become the largest purpose-built AI data centre development in Canada, it aligns with Bell's priority to lead in enterprise with AI-powered solutions.

Economic value and community benefits

The 300 MW facility is projected to generate an economic value of up to US$12 billion for the province of Saskatchewan.

This total value will include short- and long-term job creation. The construction of the data centre will support at least 800 jobs in the trades and engineering, with at least 80 full-time roles being created once in full working order. 

The first stage is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.

BCE also reports from industry research that a potential 750 additional community jobs could come of a construction at this scale.

Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, says: "Our largest-ever investment in Saskatchewan will deliver the cutting edge, high-performance compute necessary to innovate at speed, bring major economic benefits to the province and create a competitive advantage for our country.

"Bell is drawing on its historic roots as a Canadian technology leader and nation builder through ambitious projects like Bell AI Fabric, by building a digital backbone to power the future of the Canadian economy.

"We're thrilled to partner with the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure Canada can compete and win in the AI economy."

The Premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe, also says: "The announcement of this facility is great news for Saskatchewan's economy.

"This investment by Bell will create jobs, strengthen provincial research capacity, and facilitate the creation of new businesses built on advanced capabilities."

Powered by sovereign AI

A significant proportion of the data centre's power will be dedicated to sovereign AI compute to ensure that the government agencies enterprises of Canada can guarantee that their data remains in Canada and comply with strict regulations.

Bell is partnering with SaskTel to link Bell's national fibre backbone to the data centre. The two companies will work together as go-to-market partners and offer AI-powered products and solutions to SaskTel's customers.

The data centre will expand Canada's AI ecosystem as a regional hub for advanced AI compute. Its new tenants will be Cerebras and CoreWeave.

Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras, says: "AI is becoming foundational national infrastructure.

"Countries want AI systems that are fast, energy-efficient and sovereign by design, and partnering with Bell allows us to bring industry-leading AI compute to Canada in a way that aligns with these national priorities."

Sachin Jain, the Chief Operating Officer at Coreweave, says: "Canada has an extraordinary AI ecosystem, and expanding access to advanced compute will help unlock new opportunities for innovation, economic growth and scientific discovery.

"We're excited to work with Bell AI Fabric to deliver the high-performance AI infrastructure researchers, enterprises and developers need to innovate at scale."

Further community impact

As construction proceeds, Bell will explore opportunities for collaboration with students and faculty from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina.

There are currently discussions underway about introducing a district energy system for waste heat reuse on nearby university campuses and in a development project led by George Gordon Developments Ltd, just north of the site.

Bell has entered into an agreement with the George Gordon First Nation for Indigenous procurement participation and the development of their workforce.

By doing so, BCE aims to support strategic AI use cases for the public sector, leaving a positive impact on the community while ensuring their operations are sustainable during and after construction.