Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
Bell Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding that could lead to the phased development of up to 900 megawatts (MW) of additional AI computing capacity in the province.
The expansion of Bell AI Fabric would create a path to a 1.2-gigawatt (GW) Canadian AI infrastructure hub in Saskatchewan, with total capital investment potentially reaching $52.5 billion when data centre infrastructure, tenant computing capacity and related power generation are included.
If fully developed, the project would be the largest capital investment in Saskatchewan’s history.
The development is expected to support between 800 and 1,200 construction, engineering and technical jobs during the buildout, as well as up to 600 permanent operations and management positions. A large-scale data centre deployment could also generate as many as 3,000 additional offsite and community jobs, based on precedents in other markets.
According to a statement, Bell plans to work with Saskatchewan suppliers, Indigenous partners and post-secondary institutions as the project progresses, with the aim of developing local skills and supply chains.
“Canada’s next generation of economic growth will be built on Canadian infrastructure,” said Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada. “By creating a path to 1.2 GW of AI capacity in Saskatchewan, Bell AI Fabric will give governments, businesses, researchers and innovators the secure, sovereign foundation they need to deploy AI at scale and compete globally.”
Data centres provide computing and storage capacity for a range of applications, including artificial intelligence, health care, financial services, education, research and government systems.
The federal government says expanding domestic data centre capacity will help Canadian businesses and researchers access computing resources while keeping critical digital infrastructure under Canadian laws and control.
Canada’s electricity supply, regulatory environment, construction capacity and cooler climate are among the factors being cited as advantages for developing data centre infrastructure.
Bell’s proposed Saskatchewan expansion would make the province a major centre for Canadian AI computing infrastructure while creating a significant construction and engineering workload if the full 1.2-GW buildout proceeds.
