News Summary

BCE Inc., the parent company of Bell Canada, has announced a significant investment of C$1.7 billion to establish a 300-megawatt AI data center in Sherwood, Saskatchewan. This venture is set to become Canada’s largest purpose-built AI facility, with Cerebras and CoreWeave as key tenants providing specialized computing hardware. The construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026, with operations expected to start by early 2027. The data center will focus on sovereign AI computing for governmental and private sectors, creating substantial economic benefits for the province, estimated at up to $12 billion.

The project highlights Bell’s strategic partnership with SaskTel to connect the facility to a national fiber network, aiming to enhance AI-powered product offerings and elevate BCE’s AI-solutions revenue target to C$2 billion by 2028. The center will create at least 800 construction jobs and 80 permanent roles, prioritizing local and Indigenous suppliers. Environmental sustainability is emphasized through the use of a closed-loop cooling system and partnerships with local educational institutions to explore waste heat reutilization.