Bell will quadruple the capacity of its AI hub in Saskatchewan to 1.2 GW

Bell has shared details about its planned expansion of a major artificial intelligence center in Saskatchewan.

The expansion could provide up to 900 megawatts of new capacity. This will quadruple the original 300 MW capacity to a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts.

When completed, the total capital investment, including infrastructure, tenant computing power and power generation, could exceed $50 billion. It will also support between 800 and 1,200 construction, engineering and technical jobs and create up to 600 permanent blue-collar and management positions. The company says it could create up to 3,000 additional jobs off-site and in public spaces as a result of the large data center rollout.

Bell is also working with Saskatchewan suppliers, Indigenous partners and post-secondary institutions and will help develop local skills and supply chains, “while building infrastructure and expertise that will remain in the province for decades to come.”

Bell provided some details about this data center expansion. The company says the additional capacity will come from gas-to-power generation developed by the partners. As with all Bell AI Fabric projects, the facility will use a closed-loop cooling system that does not require municipal water.

And with its expanded partnership with Saskatchewan, Bell AI Fabric will open its head office in Saskatchewan, “making the province the center of Canada’s AI economy.”

NDP technology critic Brittney Sanger says CBCaccused Saskatchewan’s premier of supporting “CEOS and the tech bros” but ignoring the concerns of Saskatchewan residents by considering where the electricity will come from and how much water the project will require. Bell said municipal water will not be used for the closed-loop cooling system, although the company did not specify where it would get the water from.

For additional context, closed loop cooling systems use little or no water, significantly reducing water consumption compared to traditional evaporative cooling. In closed loop systems, the same water (or other coolant fluids) circulates in a closed loop, so fluid is not lost through evaporation as in other cooling systems.

The Government of Canada says it is working with provinces, Canadian energy providers and leading technology companies to help with the private investment needed to build infrastructure of this scale. In addition, the company will explore opportunities that could provide up to six gigawatts of new data center capacity and potential investments of more than $100 billion across Canada.

The Bell AI Fabric is an investment by the company that will create Canada’s largest artificial intelligence computing project. The company calls it “a sovereign AI infrastructure built by Canadians for Canada.” Bell is also working to open six data centers in British Columbia.

Source: Bell