Bell expanding AI computing capacity, beginning with B.C. data centres

We’re learning new details about Bell Canada’s big investment in artificial intelligence.

Bell Canada has announced plans for a national network of AI computing facilities, the first of which will open next month in British Columbia.

The company shared details on its Bell AI Fabric network in a news release Wednesday, describing it as a “major investment,” but did not specify how much it is spending.

Bell, which is the parent company of CTV News, said it’s planning six hydro-powered data centres in B.C. targeting upwards of 500 MW of combined artificial intelligence computing capacity.

“Bell’s AI Fabric will ensure that Canadian businesses, researchers, and public institutions can access high-performance, sovereign and environmentally responsible AI computing services,” said CEO Mirko Bibic, in the news release.

The first facility, with a 7 MW capacity, is opening in Kamloops in June, followed by a second facility, with a 26 MW capacity, that’s expected to launch in Merritt “by the end of this year,” the company said.

Two additional 26 MW facilities are planned for Kamloops, including one at Thompson Rivers University that’s expected to open in 2026.

The final two are in the “advanced planning stages with stakeholders,” according to the news release, and are expected to have a combined computing capacity exceeding 400 MW.

The rapid expansion of AI technology over recent years has raised concerns about environmental impacts, including from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which has cited AI as “part” of the reason the number of data centres around the world has exploded from 500,000 to an estimated eight million since 2012.

One of UNEP’s recommendations for mitigating the environmental damage is the use of renewable energy sources for powering those data centres, rather than fossil fuels.

CTV News, BNN Bloomberg and CP24 are owned by Bell Media, which is a division of BCE.