Bell to build Canada's largest AI data centre near Regina
Bell and the Government of Saskatchewan have announced a 300 MW data centre development in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, near Regina. The project is part of Bell AI Fabric and includes Cerebras and CoreWeave as tenants.
Bell called it its largest investment in Saskatchewan and said it will be Canada's largest purpose-built AI data centre development once completed.
Construction is expected to begin this spring. The facility will enter service in stages, with data halls coming online on a rolling basis. The first stage is expected to come online in the first half of 2027.
The project is projected to generate up to CAD $12 billion in economic value for Saskatchewan over time, while construction is expected to support at least 800 trades and engineering jobs.
Once fully operational, Bell expects at least 80 full-time roles. It also cited industry research suggesting a data centre deployment of this scale can create as many as 750 additional community jobs.
BCE said the project's scale has prompted updates to its financial guidance and multi-year outlook. The build requires about CAD $1.7 billion in incremental capital expenditure, including about CAD $1.3 billion in 2026, funded through a combination of debt and cash on hand.
A significant portion of the facility's power will be dedicated to sovereign AI compute. Bell said the allocation is intended to support Canadian government agencies, researchers and enterprises, with data remaining in Canada under chain-of-custody and residency requirements.
The data centre will connect to Bell's national fibre backbone through a partnership with SaskTel. The companies also plan to act as go-to-market partners for AI-powered products and solutions for SaskTel customers.
Cerebras and CoreWeave have been secured as tenants. Cerebras will provide Bell AI Fabric customers with access to its wafer-scale technology for AI inference and training.
Under its partnership with the provincial government, Bell said it will support strategic AI use cases for Saskatchewan postsecondary institutions, municipalities and the public sector. It also plans to explore collaborations with students and faculty at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina.
The company says the project will use a closed-loop cooling system that does not draw on municipal water resources. In addition, Bell said it is also in discussions about a district energy system that would reuse waste heat. No timeline has been set for a decision on the district energy system.
Bell has also reached an agreement with the George Gordon First Nation covering Indigenous procurement participation and workforce development.
Shawn R. Longman, Chief of George Gordon First Nation, said the partnership is focused on long-term outcomes and community benefits.
"We are excited to partner with Bell AI Fabric on this major economic project. George Gordon First Nation has a history of working with industry leaders to ensure long-term mutual benefits that lead to measurable community outcomes while respecting our treaty rights, cultural protocols and environmental stewardship," he said.