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AI Fabric

Our commitment to the community and environment.

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Bell AI Fabric and Saskatchewan: building for tomorrow.

A landmark investment in Saskatchewan's digital future

Bell is investing in Saskatchewan to create a 1.2 GW Canadian AI infrastructure hub right here in Regina. We know that a project of this scale raises questions and considerations for neighbours and the wider community. Bell's goal is to bring new digital infrastructure to Saskatchewan while fitting responsibly within the local environment and community. This page is intended to share information about how the facility is being designed and planned to address those questions directly.

Investing in Saskatchewan's economic future

The new data centre campus puts Saskatchewan at the heart of Canada's technology-driven growth. This project represents a $50B+ estimated total capital investment for the full 1.2 GW campus, with no provincial or municipal subsidies, generating substantial tax revenues. 

Bell and its associated partners will pay all applicable PST — an estimated $3 billion on the initial build — property tax, utility and municipal charges, and will fund its own utility connections and road upgrades. The campus adds to the RM of Sherwood’s long-term property-tax base by an estimated $8M. Bell will report annually to the province on community investment and economic benefits.

Built in alignment with Saskatchewan’s Data Centre Framework, Bell AI Fabric will strengthen productivity and competitiveness in Saskatchewan and Canada across key sectors including agriculture, energy, financial services, and critical infrastructure.

Illustration of the data centre layout and design

Creating local opportunities

This project will generate meaningful opportunities in Saskatchewan, including up to 1,200 durable, high-paying construction jobs sustained through 2030 and beyond, 280-500 operations roles at full build-out, and up to 3,000 indirect jobs in the broader community. Furthermore, Bell intends to locate the Bell AI Fabric head office directly in the Regina community, bringing an additional 100 head office jobs.

We are deeply committed to utilizing local talent and resources: 80% of the project's labour force is from Saskatchewan, with about 98% of construction spend to date involving no US-made goods, keeping value in Saskatchewan and Canada (including Regina-milled steel). The project currently involves more than 30 Saskatchewan and prairie-region firms on the project team.

Regina — steel milled at InterPro Pipe and Steel. The structural steel for the campus buildings is milled in Regina, keeping the first link of the supply chain in the city.

Clavet — buildings manufactured at the Prairie Steel plant, part of the same WGI Group of Companies as Behlen Industries. $20M+ invested and welders retained. Roughly 65 to 70% of each building, and 80% of its labour content, is produced in Saskatchewan.

Sherwood — assembled by Saskatchewan contractors. Led by Bird Construction with Hipperson, Ardel Steel, Soletanche Bachy, Amrize, WaterMark, Maxie’s Excavating, Red Pelican and more: 32 Saskatchewan and prairie-region firms.

To explore and apply for active opportunities on this landmark project, visit jobs.bce.ca.

Our commitment to the environment and community:

The project is designed to protect local resources, limit community impacts, and manage energy use responsibly.

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Water conservation

The facility will not use water for cooling during normal operation. The facility uses a sealed closed-loop cooling system paired with air-cooled heat rejection. This means:

  • No evaporative cooling towers
  • No routine cooling-water demand
  • No draw on municipal water sources or groundwater

The cooling system is a sealed closed loop filled once with technical fluid that does not need to be regularly refilled. Water is used in washrooms and kitchens, comparable to an office of about 130 people, supplied by watermain, not wells. Groundwater will be monitored against published baselines. 

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Minimizing local impact

The site is designed to limit community impacts through responsible development, including:

  • Low-noise equipment selection and sound enclosures
  • Sound mitigated through acoustic engineering, 4-metre berms, and appropriate setbacks
  • Buildings will be about 10 metres high and screened behind the berms
  • Downward-facing, dark-sky-compliant lighting
  • Careful drainage planning to protect surrounding lands
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Responsible energy use

Power for the facility is planned through a phased approach designed to support world-class computing without competing for local power resources. For the initial 300 MW phase, electricity is delivered through SaskPower via a dedicated industrial feed separate from residential distribution, leveraging the site’s proximity to existing high-capacity infrastructure for reliable delivery.

To power the expansion without drawing load from the provincial grid, the 900 MW expansion will come from dedicated generation at a separate Saskatchewan site, with no burden on the grid or ratepayers. This self-contained approach protects provincial grid stability. Siting, safety reviews, and pipeline routing are currently being coordinated in close consultation with SaskPower, SaskEnergy, and TransGas, subject to comprehensive environmental assessments.

Operating with advanced closed-loop technology that requires zero municipal water for cooling, active engineering studies are also underway to capture and reuse surplus heat for neighbouring post-secondary institutions and regional development projects to improve overall efficiency over time.

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Roads, traffic and infrastructure

Bell will fund project-specific infrastructure upgrades, including to neighbouring roads and site access associated with the development.

Construction traffic uses designated haul routes with dust control under a Road Maintenance Agreement with the RM of Sherwood. Bell funds project-related road upgrades and will leave roads in the same or better condition. These updates are part of the project and are not intended to shift costs onto local residents or the municipality.

Community details

Bell is committed to being a responsible and transparent partner in Saskatchewan. As the data centre is being constructed, we want to share our approach to key operational aspects and community engagement.

Download booklet
Sherwood Campus Brochure

Bell AI Fabric expands nation-building project in Saskatchewan to create a 1.2 GW Canadian AI infrastructure hub

Explore the official press release, which details the project's historic investment, economic impact, and overall vision for an AI Hub.

Learn more

Your questions, answered.

As we build the foundation for Canada’s AI-driven future, our commitment to the community, economy and land of Saskatchewan remains our top priority. 

Water usage

A sealed cooling circuit that is not connected to municipal water supplies or groundwater. We fill it once with technical fluid and the same fluid remains in the system — it is not discharged and does not need to be regularly replaced.

No municipal water is used for cooling, and no groundwater is used at all. The cooling system is a sealed closed loop, entirely separate from municipal water supplies and groundwater sources. The campus does use municipal water from the watermain for washrooms, kitchens and fire protection, comparable to an office of about 130 people. Groundwater will be monitored against published baselines.

Land, taxes and approvals

A large portion of the expansion lands stays in crop, and the farm families retain the right to farm it under a leaseback written into the purchase agreement, with a first right of refusal. All topsoil stripped to date has gone into on-site berms to help mitigate acoustic effects of the site.

No. Bell has not requested nor received any subsidies from the Province of Saskatchewan or any municipality. Bell will pay all applicable PST, property tax, utility and municipal charges, and will bear its own utility connection costs.

No. Bell will not proceed with construction until all approvals are received and a commercial agreement with a tenant is in place.

Yes. A provincial environmental impact assessment is required before operations. Bell will also secure all necessary assessments prior to proceeding with the phased expansion. Stormwater is engineered on site, and Bell is working with neighbours, the RM and the Water Security Agency on a regional drainage strategy.

No. The previous Reeve and three councillors resigned in March 2026; they were not removed. Prior, the former Reeve and Council gave rezoning Bylaw No. 01/26 first reading on January 19, 2026, and, after a public hearing, second and third readings on February 9, 2026, each carried unanimously. When the Reeve and councillors resigned, Council was below quorum and the province appointed an interim Reeve and three councillors under The Municipalities Act on April 10, 2026, to serve until the November 2026 municipal election. The remaining item, the development agreement, was approved unanimously on April 20, 2026, by a council that included the three continuing elected councillors.

Power

The existing campus draws 300 MW, supplied by SaskPower from existing generating assets. The 900 MW expansion announced on September 14, 2026, will be self-generated at a separate Saskatchewan site, funded by Bell and an experienced third-party operator partner, with siting coordinated with SaskPower, SaskEnergy and TransGas.

SaskPower supplies the first 300 MW under the March 2026 agreement. The expansion will be powered off-grid by natural gas generation funded by Bell and an experienced third-party operator partner, built and managed by that partner, in close consultation with SaskPower, SaskEnergy and TransGas — so the project supports local development without drawing load from the provincial grid or affecting rates for Saskatchewan families.

No. Rates are not going up as a result of the data centre being added to the grid. SaskPower supplies the first 300 MW from existing generating assets under the March 2026 agreement. That is new industrial revenue for the Crown utility, which helps mitigate rate increases for all customers.

The site sits close to existing transmission infrastructure, supporting efficient and reliable power delivery without requiring a new SaskPower transmission substation. A campus-side high-voltage substation connecting the site to the grid is under construction.

Yes. We are targeting a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.3, with efficiency expected to improve over time as operational practices evolve and opportunities such as waste heat reuse are explored. A PUE measures how much energy is used by the IT equipment compared to the total energy used by the facility.

Yes. We are targeting a PUE of 1.3, well below the industry average, through closed-loop cooling, high-efficiency equipment and heat recovery.

Roads and Traffic

Bell will fund required project specific road and access upgrades associated with the development. These improvements are part of the project and are not intended to shift costs to local residents or the municipality.

A traffic management plan will guide construction activity. This includes designated haul routes, scheduling controls, and safety measures to reduce disruption during construction.

Yes. Road use and maintenance requirements will form part of construction planning to ensure roads are kept in safe and serviceable condition.

What can AI do for Canada?

Direct benefits (experienced firsthand in daily life)

AI analyzes individual health data from wearables and medical records to provide early warnings for conditions (e.g., detecting irregular heartbeats) and highly tailored treatment plans.

AI assistants automate mundane tasks like drafting emails, summarizing documents, and scheduling, freeing up hours of personal and professional time.

AI-driven tutoring platforms adapt in real-time to a student’s unique learning pace and style, identifying knowledge gaps and providing targeted exercises.

AI-integrated smart home systems learn your habits to optimize heating, cooling, and lighting, directly reducing monthly energy bills.

Real-time language translation, advanced speech-to-text, and visual recognition tools allow individuals with disabilities or language barriers to navigate the world and communicate seamlessly.

AI chatbots and virtual agents provide 24/7, immediate resolution for common consumer issues, eliminating long hold times on customer service calls.

Indirect benefits (experienced through systemic and industry improvements)

AI drastically reduces the time required for drug discovery and protein folding analysis, leading to faster development of life-saving medications and vaccines available to the public.

AI optimizes city traffic light grids to reduce congestion. Furthermore, as AI improves autonomous vehicle technology, it will systematically reduce traffic accidents caused by human error.

AI optimizes global supply chains, predicts inventory needs, and automates manufacturing. This reduces corporate waste and overhead, which translates to lower prices for everyday goods at the store.

"Precision agriculture" uses AI to analyze drone imagery and soil sensors, allowing farmers to optimize water and fertilizer use. This increases crop yields and helps stabilize grocery prices.

AI predicts energy demand and optimizes the distribution of renewable energy (like solar and wind) across power grids, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering the frequency of blackouts.

Banks and credit card companies use AI to analyze purchasing patterns in milliseconds, blocking fraudulent transactions before consumers even realize their data was compromised.

Research & development

AI simulates how millions of molecules interact with biological targets, reducing the time to find viable drug candidates from years to months. For example, AI models that predict 3D protein structures allow researchers to design highly targeted treatments for diseases much faster and at a fraction of the traditional cost.

AI rapidly tests chemical combinations virtually to discover new materials without needing physical trial-and-error in a lab. For example, discovering new, highly efficient compounds for solar panels, or developing longer-lasting, faster-charging solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.

Engineers input specific constraints (e.g., maximum weight, required strength, available materials), and AI generates optimal, often unconventional, physical designs. For example, designing lighter, stronger aerospace components that reduce airplane fuel consumption, which can lead to lower environmental impact and cheaper flight tickets.

AI can instantly read, translate, and synthesize decades of global scientific papers, identifying hidden patterns that human researchers might miss. For example, cross-referencing thousands of historical medical studies to find new, effective off-label uses for existing, FDA-approved medications.

AI processes massive datasets to simulate highly complex environments that traditional computing struggles to render accurately. For example, simulating plasma behavior to advance clean nuclear fusion energy or creating hyper-accurate climate models to help cities build better flood defenses.