Here’s how Saskatchewan’s new data centre plan stacks up against others in Canada

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeInnovationHere’s how Saskatchewan's new data centre plan stacks up against others in CanadaBell's data centre expansion is set to be the largest capital investment in Saskatchewan's historyLast updated 19 minutes ago Construction on Bell's newly expanded $1.7-billion, 300-megawatt data centre in Sherwood, Sask. has already begun. Photo by Heywood Yu/PostmediaBCE Inc. says it’s quadrupling the size of its planned artificial intelligence data centre in Saskatchewan to 1.2 gigawatts by building three additional facilities.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe project, Bell AI Fabric, at full buildout, including data centre infrastructure and related power generation, could exceed $50 billion in “capital investment and economic activity,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a speech on Monday.The Montreal-based company said the buildout could create up to 600 permanent operations and management roles and support up to 1,200 construction, engineering and technical jobs.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIt has already started construction on the $1.7-billion, 300-megawatt data centre in Sherwood, Sask., which was announced in March.Bell’s data centre expansion is set to be the largest capital investment in Saskatchewan’s history and the biggest sovereign AI infrastructure network in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in the announcement.Here’s how Bell’s plans stack up against some of Canada’s proposed major AI data centre projects.Kevin O’Leary’s Wonder ValleyCanadian investor and reality television personality Kevin O’Leary in December 2024 announced plans to build the world’s largest AI data centre and industrial park in the northwest district of Greenview, Alta.He said the proposed $70-billion, nine-GW project will cover 64 square kilometres once it is complete. Its first phase will focus on building 1.4 GW at an estimated cost of $12 billion.The Alberta government waived an environmental impact assessment for the project, but some First Nations and environmental groups have raised concerns over its potential water usage and lack of consultations with Indigenous communities. Wonder Valley is in the process of obtaining necessary permits before it can move forward.A Meta play in AlbertaMark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms Inc. will invest more than $13 billion in Alberta to build a one-GW data centre, which is set to become one of the largest private-sector investments in Canadian history.Meta said the Sturgeon County data centre, which will be its largest outside the United States, will annually generate $250 million in benefits for Albertans while creating more than 3,000 construction jobs and supporting 300 operational jobs.It also said it will invest $60 million in local road and water infrastructure improvements. The project will be powered by the Greenlight Electricity Centre, a Pembina Pipeline Corp. natural gas power plant.Microsoft’s pushMicrosoft Corp. said it will invest $19 billion in Canada between 2023 and 2027 to build new cloud and AI infrastructure as part of a global push, with $7.5 billion of that sum to be spent in 2026 and 2027.Microsoft is expanding computing capacity at its key Canadian data centre regions in Ontario and Quebec, including building a new facility in Vaughn, Ont., that will be the size of 15 hockey rinks as part of that investment.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.The company said it will employ 2,000 people during the construction phase. Once construction is complete, it will hire 250 full-time workers and 400 contractors.Microsoft has estimated the annual water consumption of its new data centres will be equivalent to 20 average Canadian households.A Beacon in AlbertaCalgary-based Beacon Data Centers has proposed building a 4.5-GW portfolio of AI data centres across Alberta for around $10 billion, which would cover six sites in addition to a 1.49-GW natural gas plant.It is currently seeking approvals for a $4 billion, 400-MW data centre near Calgary called the Beacon Foothills Artificial Intelligence Hub, which it said will create 300 jobs once operational.The company, which is owned by New York-based investment firm Nadia Partners LLC, is also searching for financing for its proposed 365-MW data centre project in New Brunswick called the Spruce Lake Data Centre Hub, which was included in Carney’s Canada Investment Summit pitchbook to investors.Beacon operates other data centres and tech infrastructure hubs in the U.S.GTA BuzzBuzz High Performance Computing Inc., a subsidiary of Hive Digital Technologies Ltd., in May announced it will build a 320-MW large-scale AI data centre in the Greater Toronto Area.The company said the facility is set to become one of Canada’s largest AI gigafactories and will use more than 100,000 graphic processing units when the buildout is complete in the second half of 2027.Buzz HPC said it expects to invest around $3.5 billion in the project, including spending at least $56 million on land acquisition. The data centre will create 800-plus construction jobs and hundreds of permanent roles.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.