Bell Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan have announced plans to develop a 300-megawatt data centre in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, just outside Regina.

The project represents Bell’s largest-ever investment in Saskatchewan and is expected to become the largest purpose-built AI data centre development in Canada, said the company. The initiative is part of Bell’s broader push to expand its AI infrastructure through its Bell AI Fabric platform, boosting domestic compute capacity while supporting the province’s long-term economic growth.

Once fully built, the facility could generate up to $12 billion in economic value for Saskatchewan through job creation, tax revenues and related benefits. Construction is expected to create at least 800 jobs in trades and engineering, with a minimum of 80 full-time positions once operational. Industry estimates suggest as many as 750 additional community jobs could be supported, according to Bell.

Construction is slated to begin this spring, with the data centre coming online in phases. The first stage is anticipated to be operational in the first half of 2027.

A portion of the facility’s capacity will be dedicated to sovereign AI compute, allowing Canadian governments, researchers and enterprises to access advanced AI processing while ensuring data remains within national borders and meets residency requirements.

The site will connect to Bell’s national fibre network through a partnership with SaskTel, with the two companies jointly delivering AI-powered products and services to customers.

Tenants for the project include Sunnyvale, Calif.-headquartered Cerebras, which will provide wafer-scale AI technology for large-scale training and inference, and Livingston, N.J.-based CoreWeave, which will supply high-performance AI compute powered by NVIDIA graphic processing units (GPUs).

Bell said the project will also support AI initiatives across Saskatchewan’s public sector and post-secondary institutions, including potential collaborations with Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina. The company has also signed an agreement with George Gordon First Nation focused on Indigenous procurement and workforce development.

The facility will use a closed-loop cooling system that does not rely on municipal water, and discussions are underway to implement a district energy system that could reuse waste heat for nearby campuses and developments.

“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,” said Mirko Bibic, CEO of BCE and Bell Canada. “Today’s announcement is an exciting illustration of the impact of Bell’s strategic priority to lead in enterprise with AI-powered solutions.

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

Premier Scott Moe called the project “great news” for Saskatchewan’s economy. Bell’s investment will create jobs, strengthen provincial research capacity, and facilitate the creation of new businesses built on advanced capabilities, he added.

Rendering: Bell Canada