Bell AI Fabric Expansion in Saskatchewan
September 22, 2026
Bell Canada (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE) and the Government of Saskatchewan today announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding to expand Bell AI Fabric in Saskatchewan with the phased development of up to 900 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity, creating a path to a 1.2 gigawatt (GW) Canadian AI infrastructure hub in the province, expected to represent the largest capital investment in Saskatchewan’s history.
As part of this expanded partnership, Bell AI Fabric will establish a head office of its national ecosystem in Saskatchewan, placing the province at the heart of Canada’s AI economy.
The project aligns with the Government of Saskatchewan’s Data Centre Framework and reflects Bell’s commitments to Canadian control, data sovereignty, local jobs and investment, environmental stewardship and non-grid power. Together, these principles have created the conditions required for investment and development at this scale.
The additional capacity would come from partner-developed power generation from natural gas. Consistent with all Bell AI Fabric projects, the proposed facilities will use closed-loop cooling technology that requires no municipal water. Development would proceed in phases as customer commitments are secured and subject to commercial agreements, permits, approvals, and any relevant environmental assessments.
At full buildout, total capital investment associated with this project, including data centre infrastructure, tenant compute and related power generation could exceed $50 billion, while supporting 800 to 1,200 construction, engineering and technical jobs, and creating up to 600 permanent operations and management roles. As many as 3,000 additional offsite and community jobs could result from a large data centre deployment of this nature based on precedents in other markets.
By working with Saskatchewan suppliers, Indigenous partners and post-secondary institutions, Bell will help build local skills and supply chains while creating infrastructure and expertise.
David Pickup of Pembina Institute cautioned in a statement that pairing a data centre with new fossil fuel generation risks higher emissions and higher rates.
“With some of the country’s strongest wind and solar resources, Saskatchewan is well positioned to support this growth while modernizing its electricity system. However, the Bell AI Fabric expansion’s reliance on a new large-scale natural gas plant misses that opportunity, risking higher emissions and higher costs while falling short of the ambition outlined in the federal government’s new Responsible Data Centre Development Principles, to which Bell Canada is a signatory.”
Pickup added that, “Massachusetts, Ireland, Germany, and Spain among others, are using data centre growth to strengthen grids, expand the supply of clean energy, and deliver broader benefits to consumers and the economy. As governments consider hosting data centres, they have a clear opportunity to use new investment to modernize the grid, but in order to capitalize on this opportunity, they must ensure these projects are powered by the lowest-cost, lowest-emitting energy solutions.”
Quick facts
- The Bell AI Fabric expansion will rely on a mix of 300 MW of provincial grid power and 900 MW of self-supplied generation under Saskatchewan’s “Bring Your Own Power” framework.
- The 900MW of natural gas power to extend the data centre is nearly double the largest power plant in Saskatchewan, the coal-fired Poplar River Power Station (582MW).
