Montréal- Bell Canada has unveiled Bell AI Fabric, a landmark initiative to develop the country’s largest sovereign AI compute infrastructure, aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence innovation, enhancing national competitiveness, and supporting environmentally responsible digital growth.
Positioned as a full-stack AI Managed Services Provider, Bell’s AI Fabric project will initially roll out through a supercluster of data centers in British Columbia, with plans to deliver up to 500 MW of AI compute capacity across six hydro-powered facilities nationwide. This bold infrastructure investment will enable Canadian enterprises, researchers, and government institutions to access high-performance, sovereign AI computing capabilities without relying on international infrastructure.
The project underscores Bell’s long-term vision to strengthen Canada’s AI ecosystem while maintaining data sovereignty, infrastructure scalability, and energy sustainability. Bell is partnering with AI inference technology provider Groq to power its first two 7 MW facilities, with the first coming online in Kamloops, BC, in June 2025, followed by another in Merritt, BC, by year-end.
Additional milestones in the initiative include:
- A 26 MW AI data centre at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), set to open in 2026, with a second of the same capacity planned for 2027.
- Two more data centres with a combined capacity exceeding 400 MW, currently in advanced planning, to support high-density AI workloads using clean hydroelectric power.
- Further expansions across Canada leveraging Bell’s national infrastructure and real estate assets.
“Bell’s AI Fabric will ensure that Canadian businesses, researchers, and public institutions can access high-performance, sovereign and environmentally responsible AI computing services,” said Mirko Bibic, President & CEO of BCE and Bell Canada.
As part of its academic-industry collaboration, Bell will integrate TRU’s data centre into BC’s district energy and education networks, enabling students and faculty to access cutting-edge AI infrastructure for both research and applied learning. The facility will also harness waste heat from data processing to power buildings on campus, underscoring Bell’s focus on sustainability and innovation.
“This collaboration will create unprecedented opportunities for students, researchers, and our community,” said Shannon Wagner, Interim Provost and VP Academic at TRU.
With this announcement, Bell reinforces its position as a leader in next-gen telecom and technology services, helping shape a future-ready, AI-powered economy for Canada.
