Bell to open Canada’s largest AI data centre network in BC

Bell Canada has announced the launch of Bell AI Fabric, which will include the establishment of the country's largest AI compute project through a network of six data centres totalling 500 MW in British Columbia.

The first 7 MW facility of this project, located in Kamloops, is scheduled to become operational next month. Additional centres are planned to open throughout the remainder of this year and into early next year, with the data centres to be powered by clean hydroelectricity. Bell's initiative will also include a partnership with AI chip supplier Groq, designed to offer Canadian enterprises access to advanced AI inference chips.

Bell AI Fabric is expected to create a national infrastructure, beginning with British Columbia's data centre supercluster. These facilities will look to provide high-performance computing for artificial intelligence across various sectors, supporting workloads such as language model training and inference services.

"Bell's AI Fabric will ensure that Canadian businesses, researchers, and public institutions can access high-performance, sovereign and environmentally responsible AI computing services. Through this investment, Bell is immediately bolstering Canada's sovereign AI compute capacity, while laying the groundwork to continue growing our AI economy. This is transformational for our customers, for Canada and for Bell," Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of Bell Canada, said.

The first Bell AI Fabric site, a 7 MW facility powered by Groq's Language Processing Units (LPUs), is set to open in Kamloops in mid-2025. A second 7 MW centre will open in Merritt, British Columbia, later in the year. These units are designed to accelerate AI inference workloads, with a particular focus on large language models.

Looking further ahead, Bell is planning two additional data centres, each with a capacity of 26 MW, both in Kamloops. The first is due for completion in 2026 in partnership with Thompson Rivers University (TRU), followed by a second in 2027. Two more facilities, each designed for high-density AI workloads and collectively providing more than 400 MW of capacity, are currently in advanced planning stages. Additional facilities are planned nationwide, leveraging Bell's real estate assets to further expand the AI Fabric network.

"BC has a robust and rapidly growing AI sector, and the supercluster of data centres will drive innovation, create jobs, and further strengthen our province's position as an emerging world-class AI hub," Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, Government of British Columbia, commented.

Bell has selected Groq as its infrastructure partner for inference workloads. This collaboration offers access to high-performance LPUs that, according to the company, deliver faster inference at a lower cost per token compared to existing solutions.

"Groq's advanced LPU technology, combined with Bell's extensive fibre infrastructure, is setting a new standard in AI inference. We're excited to bring these capabilities to Canada, significantly enhancing performance and affordability for AI-driven applications," Jonathan Ross, CEO and Founder of Groq, stated.

The facility at Thompson Rivers University will provide both AI training and inference resources for students and faculty, integrating with the BCNET education network. The data centre will also incorporate sustainability features, connecting to the campus district energy system so that waste heat from AI compute operations can be reused to provide energy for university buildings.

"Thompson Rivers University is proud to partner in this groundbreaking initiative, positioning Kamloops and British Columbia at the forefront of sustainable AI innovation. This collaboration will create unprecedented opportunities for students, researchers, and our community," Shannon Wagner, Interim Provost and Vice President Academic at Thompson Rivers University, commented.

Bell indicated that the AI Fabric project reflects a long-term objective to support AI development and strengthen economic growth in Canada. The organisation aims to maintain data sovereignty while providing secure and reliable AI solutions for businesses and public institutions throughout the country.