Bell Canada to launch 6 AI data centres in B.C.

CBC

4 days ago

Telecom giant Bell Canada has announced plans to build six artificial intelligence data centres in B.C.
Bell AI Fabric will create a "data centre supercluster" in the province beginning with a centre in Kamloops this June and another in Merritt by the end of the year.
Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of Bell Canada, said he wants the project to become "the fabric for the AI economy for Canada."
"To do it right here, you know, starting in B.C., is a testament to all the attributes that British Columbia has in terms of kind of the natural resources of the hydroelectric power, the innovation mindset, universities who are … ready, willing and able to join in," Bibic told the CBC.
Kamloops to host 3 centres
In addition to the first two locations, Bell AI Fabric plans to open another four AI data centres in the province.
Two more will open in Kamloops in 2026 and 2027, while the final two locations have not yet been announced.
Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops will be home to one of the data centres designed to host AI training and inference.
Asked about the power supply needed to run the centres amid concerns about B.C. Hydro meeting future electrical demand, Bibic said he believes there is capacity in the B.C. Interior. He added that they picked Kamloops for three of the centres for its access to reliable clean energy and its "ideal climate."
He promised Bell will hire local workers as it builds and manages the centres and noted Bell AI Fabric president, Dan Rink, is based in Kamloops.
Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz said he's excited for the new data centre in his community.
"If you're first in the door, you can control the narrative," Goetz said. "If you're coming up behind once everybody's jumped on the bandwagon, then you're playing catch up."
He said the city was lucky the land was available: years ago, the site was upgraded to become a grow-op, according to Goetz.
"It was going to be a row of greenhouses for the grow-up.… So it's a very powerful site."
Bell AI Fabric is also planning to expand its network nationally and is considering locations in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, Bibic said.
Data sovereignty
The project has been in the works for more than a year, according to Bibic, and wasn't in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats.
But Bibic said recent events have shown the importance of "data sovereignty," which he described as a three-pronged concept: where data resides, who owns the infrastructure and who controls the technology being used.
"If there are major geopolitical events that put any of that at risk, you know that we are secure in terms of the access of technology because everything's owned, controlled, managed by Canadians, for Canadians."
Bell AI Fabric plans to serve research institutions, universities, start-ups and large enterprises.
Its first partner, American AI company Groq (not to be confused with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok), will make a home at the first data centre in Kamloops, where it will work with language processing unit chips.
While Bell cut its shareholder dividends for the first time in 17 years earlier this month, Bibic said the reset would give Bell the flexibility to invest in AI technology solutions.