Project Overview

Bell has announced the next step forward for Bell AI Fabric: the construction of a new
300 MW AI data centre in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, Saskatchewan. 

 

• This major investment significantly increases Canada’s domestic compute capacity, while supporting Saskatchewan’s long-term economic growth and diversification. 
• Planning approvals and permits are underway, with construction on the first phase expected to begin in Q2 2026.
• The facility will come online beginning in early 2027, with two individual data halls entering service in the first half of 2027 and two additional data halls entering service in the latter half of 2027. 
• A significant portion of the facility’s power will be dedicated to sovereign AI compute, ensuring that government agencies and enterprises can access top-tier AI power.
• Cerebras and CoreWeave will supply the compute infrastructure for the facility.
  • Cerebras will offer access to their revolutionary wafer-scale technology, which will deliver large-scale, high-performance AI inference and training capacity.
  • CoreWeave will deliver cutting-edge, scalable AI compute hosted on NVIDIA GPUs. 
• Bell’s capital investment in the physical facility is approximately $1.7 billion. The compute hardware will be funded and supplied by tenants Cerebras and CoreWeave.

 

Economic Impact and Benefits

The project is expected to generate economic value of up to $12 billion for the province and deliver significant economic benefits.

 

• There will be at least 800 construction jobs supported, with up to 80 full‑time roles at the data centre when it is fully operational.
• Estimates for offsite and community jobs that result from a large AI data centre deployment could be as high as 750, based on industry research.
• This project will place the province at the heart of Canada’s AI-driven economy, providing substantial tax revenue for the province and giving startups and established businesses access to advanced technology and AI compute. 
• Bell will prioritize Saskatchewan‑based and Indigenous suppliers during construction, subject to competitive pricing and comparable service delivery.
• The project helps keep AI data, research, and intellectual property in Canada, under Canadian laws, while supporting domestic jobs and long‑term economic resilience.
• The facility will support the development of AI solutions that could improve healthcare, expand access to education, strengthen public services, and accelerate Canadian research and innovation.

 

Local Community and Environment

Bell worked closely with the Regional Municipality of Sherwood, the City of Regina and George Gordon First Nation throughout the planning process to minimize the impact on neighbouring communities and the environment. 

 

• Power and grid: The facility will be powered through an agreement with SaskPower, drawing from the provincial grid’s standard energy mix. Power will be provided by a dedicated industrial feed, separate from the residential system.  
• Energy efficiency: The facility is expected to launch with a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of approximately 1.3. This efficiency is expected to improve over time, as Bell explores opportunities to integrate waste heat reuse into nearby development projects and universities.
• Water use: No municipal water will be used to cool the data centre as it will operate a closed‑loop cooling system.
• Site layout: The 160-acre site is located a significant distance from residential areas, allowing for substantial landscaped setbacks. The project includes planned road upgrades, traffic control, and careful drainage and groundwater planning. Tree planting will help reduce visual impact and mitigate noise and light pollution. Exterior lighting will use downward-facing fixtures designed to minimize light spill.
• Noise management: The campus is designed around liquid‑cooled computing (which is quieter than traditional air‑cooled systems that rely primarily on large fans) and enclosed backup generation. Sound berms, barriers, and setbacks are also planned to reduce sound transmission.

 

Project visuals are conceptual and subject to final engineering, permitting and detailed design.

 

Partnerships

A key part of our approach is working with local organizations in Saskatchewan to deliver this project, and ensure its benefits are felt widely across the province. Bell has a number of partnerships in place, including: 

• Government of Saskatchewan:
  • The agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan establishes a collaborative framework to develop and operate data centres as part of Bell AI Fabric, positioning the province in the centre of Canada’s AI-driven economic growth.

• Infrastructure partners:
  • Bell is working closely with Saskatchewan utilities and telecoms to power and connect the facility.
    • SaskPower – Providing industrial electricity supply for full facility operation.
    • SaskEnergy – Provide the fully resilient natural gas supply to meet the back-up generation needs.
    • SaskTel – Linking the data centre to Bell’s national fibre backbone and delivering joint AI go‑to‑market initiatives in Saskatchewan.

• Indigenous partners:
  • Bell has entered into an agreement with the George Gordon First Nation focused on Indigenous procurement participation and workforce development and to enable waste heat reuse in a development project led by George Gordon Developments Ltd.

• Academic institutions:
  • Agreements with Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina will support strategic AI use cases and explore opportunities for a district energy system that would enable waste heat reuse on nearby university campuses.