Telecom giant Bell is entering the AI infrastructure space with a major investment in AI data centres. The company announced the launch of its AI Fabric project, which includes six data centres in British Columbia, forming the first “supercluster” of a planned national AI network. Bell did not reveal the exact cost but confirmed it’s a nine-figure investment.
The centres will be powered by chips from U.S. company Groq, known for its high-performance, cost-efficient Language Processing Units (LPUs). According to Bell CEO Mirko Bibic, the AI Fabric aims to offer sovereign, high-performance, and environmentally conscious AI compute services to Canadian businesses, researchers, and public institutions.
AI data centres, significantly more power-intensive than traditional ones, are expected to contribute to a 160% global rise in data centre electricity demand by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs. To mitigate environmental impact, Bell said its centres will use hydroelectric power. The first two facilities—located in Kamloops and Merritt—are set to open this year with 7 MW capacity each. Larger 26-MW centres, including one at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), are due over the next two years. The biggest centres, yet to be located, will handle over 400 MW for high-density AI tasks.
TRU’s centre will also offer national access via BCNET and will use waste heat to power campus buildings. Bell’s move follows Telus’ own AI data centre projects in Kamloops and Rimouski, the latter in collaboration with Nvidia. Both initiatives align with Canada’s $2-billion Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, which has already backed Cohere’s multi-billion-dollar facility.
Bell has not confirmed if it sought federal funding but noted ongoing engagement with the government. The company is also eyeing expansion into Manitoba and Québec, while Alberta pursues its own $100-billion AI data centre investment strategy.
Swifteradio.com
