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TORONTO, Ont. — Bell Canada has announced a major expansion of its Saskatchewan AI data centre project, with over $50 billion in estimated capital investment and plans for thousands of jobs and a Regina-area headquarters for Bell AI Fabric.
At an announcement in Toronto, Premier Scott Moe and Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic announced the major expansion of the project, which was part of the Canada Investment Summit happening on both Sept. 14 and 15.
The announcement was joined by Prime Minister Mark Carney as well as former Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chretien, and a number of federal cabinet ministers.
According to the details provided, Bell will expand its major AI hub in Saskatchewan from the original 300 megawatts of power from the provincial grid, and add a phased development of up to 900 MW of additional capacity. That additional power will be provided by Bell, in line with the "Bring Your Own Power" principle recently announced by the Saskatchewan government for AI data centre projects.
That will set the stage for the Bell AI Data Centre to become a 1.2-gigawatt Canadian AI infrastructure hub in the province, according to the government.
"So to Bell Canada, Saskatchewan welcomes you," Moe said at the announcement in Toronto. "And Canada thanks you for this investment, this significant investment and this vote of confidence in this great country. And if there's one thing that we can all take away today, I hope it is this. Saskatchewan and Canada, we are certainly ready. Ready to provide the food and energy security that the world needs. Ready to strengthen Canada's economic and data sovereignty. For investors, the opportunity is very clear. Very clear this week. Be a part of Saskatchewan and Canada's growth. Help build our nation's future. Many of the people who can help build what comes next, you are in this room here today. And you are certainly at this conference this week. And I encourage you to connect with one another."
Moe also reiterated the reasons why the Bell AI Data Centre project was needed for Canada, comparing this project to previous nation building initiatives.
"Canada is a nation of builders, and we have always built with a purpose. Throughout our history, we have built to secure our sovereignty, to shape our destiny, and to determine our own future. 150 years ago, that meant building a railway across this continent all the way to the Pacific," Moe said.
"Today, the infrastructure has changed, but the purpose has not. That same nation-building purpose calls for a new kind of infrastructure, infrastructure that protects our data and secures our sovereignty. Around the world, we are seeing AI data centres being built at extraordinary speed, becoming essential infrastructure for the digital economy. More and more, the information Canadians depend on, our personal information, our financial information, commercial information, it is being stored in these centres. So I would say, as Canadians, we have a choice. Do we build the infrastructure necessary to keep Canadian data in Canada, or do we leave our data sovereignty in the hands of other countries? Well, in Canada and in Saskatchewan, we have made our choice. We will protect what is ours. We will build what we need and determine our destiny on our own terms."
The province says it approved the expansion under its Data Centre Framework, announced in August. That framework includes six guiding principles for new major data centre investments in Saskatchewan:
- Canadian ownership and Canadian headquarters.
- Data sovereignty.
- Local jobs and partnerships.
- Operating experience.
- Bring Your Own Power.
- Centralized provincial intake through Crown Investments Corporation and the Ministry of Trade and Export Development.
Bibic said the announcement reflected a significant stage in the most ambitious digital infrastructure project in the country. He noted progress is already strong for the project now under way southeast of Regina, which was only announced in March of this year.
"Today the work is going very well, at scale, at pace. We've got structural frames up for three buildings, foundations being poured for the fourth building, the work going on for the power and cooling infrastructure," said Bibic.
"So given the momentum, that's a $10-12 billion capital investment project in the province of Saskatchewan. The work is going well, the demand signals are so strong that we went to see Minister (Jeremy) Harrison and Premier Moe in July of this year and said, you know, why not increase the ambition? The strategic partnership is working. And here we are. Today we're announcing that we're expanding that project, quadrupling it, it will now be a 1.2 gigawatt facility at full build-out, requiring $50 billion in capital investment and economic activity."
Bibic also explained why Bell had chosen Saskatchewan.
"And for me the answer was simple, it's because Saskatchewan's a great place to invest. And while it's easy to say, it's really, you know, this government, these gentlemen who have… put the conditions in place for us to do this, brought all their resources together, brought the partners in Saskatchewan that we needed to make this happen –TransGas, SaskPower, SaskTel who's been a phenomenal partner of Bell Canada's for decades. You've brought that all together to make this happen and we're grateful for it and we're happy to do more."
Bibic also thanked Prime Minister Carney for "setting the tone… for the country. You're bringing leading investors from around the world to see what Canada has on offer and what we can do."
The federal government says it is welcoming the announcement, which will create upwards of 4,500 jobs and a total capital investment of up to $52.5 billion, which it says represents the largest capital investment in Saskatchewan’s history. According to the province the expansion is expected to create up to 500 permanent jobs associated with data centre operations and power generation, and an estimated 3,000 additional jobs in areas including security, logistics and maintenance. The Bell AI Fabric headquarters will also host approximately 100 management positions.
In his remarks Prime Minister Carney welcomed the announcement of the major Bell AI Data Centre expansion. He also picked up on Bibic's comments about setting the tone for the country, pointing to the reaction of Canadians.
"That's the tone of Canadians. The tone of Canadians is: let's get on with it, let's build, let's control our future, let's be positive, let's come together. This is a fantastic example of that. It is going to deliver prosperity. It's going to keep control of the most important things in our lives. So I couldn't be happier to be associated with this. This is a win for Saskatchewan, it's a win for Canada, and for all Canadians."
Carney noted this is the "largest capital investment in Saskatchewan's history, and there's been a lot of big investments in Saskatchewan. And it is the largest sovereign AI infrastructure network in Canada. Premier Moe, people of Saskatchewan, you have fed the world… from canola to wheat to potash and beyond. You fuel the world. …
"Now you're building the frontier. And with the same values…. That's the key element here."
Carney added that the opportunity is part of a "broader move of Canadians across the country" and will "add to the momentum that's building and fuel it, just as Saskatchewan fuels the world."
"But it's got to be done on the template of Saskatchewan. It's got to be done in partnership. It's got to be done with the right values, with our municipalities. You know, we have, there's two ways to manage this, as the Premier suggested in his remarks. You can depend on infrastructure built elsewhere. You can depend on laws of other countries. You can have your data sent elsewhere. Or you can build it right here, under Canadian, on Canadian ground, with Canadian power and Canadian law, and with the confidence that comes from being a stable and open partner. The world's come to Canada — the world's come to Canada this week, to see what we can do, what we can build, and to partner with us. I can't think of a better example of what the province of Saskatchewan and Bell Canada have announced today. The power to build the intelligence age, the trust to build it right, the resolve to keep it our own. Congratulations to you both."
