BCE invests C$1.7 billion in Saskatchewan AI data center with CoreWeave and Cerebras

CoreWeave, BCE to Back Large Data Center in Western Canada

BCE plans to invest C$1.7 billion to build the facility's four data center halls, with the project expected to generate economic value of about C$12 billion over time. CoreWeave Inc., Cerebras Systems Inc. and telecommunications firm BCE Inc. will collaborate on one of Canada's most powerful data centers in Saskatchewan, with a first phase expected to come online in the first half of next year. The 300-megawatt data center, to be located on the southern edge of the city of Regina, will be dedicated to artificial-intelligence computing, BCE said in a statement Monday. AI chipmaker Cerebras and hyperscaler CoreWeave have secured 160 and 140 megawatts, respectively, as tenants for the new facility. CoreWeave's compute will be hosted on Nvidia Corp. graphics processing units. The project has the potential to generate economic value of about C$12 billion ($8.7 billion) over time, according to BCE, which plans to invest C$1.7 billion to build the facility's four data center halls. The telecom company, based in the Montreal region, cut its free cash flow guidance for 2026, given the expense of the project. BCE now expects its free cash flow to be no more than C$2.3 billion this year. Previously, it had forecast as much as C$3.5 billion. But the data center will add to revenue growth and earnings power over the next few years, the company said. Chief Executive Officer Mirko Bibic said in an interview that the industry standard values compute hardware at about C$35 million per megawatt, which would equal C$10.5 billion for the Saskatchewan project. Canada has been exploring ways to reduce its economic and security dependence on the US since President Donald Trump imposed tariffs a year ago. "What we have done in our contracts is ensure that there is going to be a significant proportion of the compute that's reserved for sovereign purposes, as that sovereign demand evolves," Bibic said. The company introduced its Bell AI Fabric division last year, aiming to provide computing power of some 500 megawatts over time. The 300 megawatts of the Saskatchewan data center will now be added to that target. "That's our guidance, and we now see line of sight to a total of 800 megawatts," Bibic said. Revenue from "AI-powered solutions" is expected to rise by C$500 million, to C$2 billion, by 2028, BCE said.

Canada's BCE to invest $1.7 billion in Saskatchewan AI data centre

Canadian telecom firm BCE will invest an additional $1.7 billion to build a massive 300-megawatt AI data centre in Saskatchewan. Cerebras and CoreWeave will be tenants. This facility will be Canada's largest purpose-built AI data centre. Construction begins this spring, with the first phase operational in early 2027. Canadian telecom firm BCE said on Monday it will invest an additional $1.7 billion to build a 300-megawatt AI data center in Saskatchewan, with Cerebras and CoreWeave signed on as tenants. BCE unit Bell Canada is working with the provincial government ⁠to build ⁠and run the AI data centre. Once complete, it will be the largest purpose-built AI data center development anywhere in Canada, Bell Canada said. BCE expects to incur about $1.3 billion in capital expenditures in 2026 for the construction of this facility. ⁠The investment will be funded through a combination of debt and cash on hand. Cerebras will ⁠supply AI chips for large-scale training and computing, while CoreWeave will provide AI computing capacity using Nvidia processors. Construction is set to begin this spring, with the facility coming online in phases, and the first stage expected to be operational in the first half of 2027. The facility will serve as a regional hub for advanced computing, helping expand Canada's AI ecosystem while delivering economic benefits ⁠to Saskatchewan. The data centre will be connected to Bell's fibre network through a partnership with SaskTel, with the two companies acting as go-to-market partners to offer AI-powered products and services to SaskTel customers. BCE raised its forecast for AI-powered solutions revenue to about $2 billion by 2028, from about $1.5 billion earlier.

Bell Canada to build 300MW data centre in Saskatchewan

REGINA -- BCE Inc. says it's planning to build a new data centre just outside of Regina. The parent company of Bell Canada says the 300 megawatt data centre will be located in the rural municipality of Sherwood, Sask., with construction slated to begin this spring. It says the facility is projected to generate economic value of up to $12 billion for the province, including short- and long-term job creation. Construction of the facility is expected to support at least 800 trades and engineering jobs, with a minimum of 80 full-time roles created once it's fully operational. It also expects as many as 750 additional community jobs to be created. The company says a significant portion of the facility's power will support sovereign AI compute. BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic says the company's largest-ever investment in Saskatchewan will bring major economic benefits to the province and create a competitive advantage for the country. The facility will come online in stages, with the first stage expected to go live during the first half of 2027. The company is also partnering with Sasktel. The two companies will act as go-to-market partners, offering AI-powered products to SaskTel customers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

CoreWeave, Cerebras and BCE to build major AI data center in Saskatchewan By Investing.com

Investing.com -- CoreWeave Inc., Cerebras Systems Inc. and BCE Inc. announced Monday they will build a 300-megawatt data center in Regina, Saskatchewan, dedicated to artificial intelligence computing, with the first phase expected to launch in the first half of next year. The facility will be located on the southern edge of Regina. AI chipmaker Cerebras secured 160 megawatts as a tenant, while hyperscaler CoreWeave secured 140 megawatts. CoreWeave's compute will run on Nvidia graphics processing units. BCE said the project could generate economic value of about C$12 billion ($8.7 billion) over time. The Montreal-based telecommunications company plans to invest C$1.7 billion to construct the facility's four data center halls. BCE cut its free cash flow guidance for 2026 due to the project's expense. The company now expects its free cash flow to reach no more than C$2.3 billion this year, down from a previous forecast of as much as C$3.5 billion. The data center will contribute to revenue growth and earnings power over the next few years, BCE said. Chief Executive Officer Mirko Bibic said in an interview that industry standards value compute hardware at about C$35 million per megawatt, which would equal C$10.5 billion for the Saskatchewan project. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Canada's BCE to invest $1.7 billion in Saskatchewan AI data center

March 16 (Reuters) - Canadian telecom firm BCE said on Monday it will invest an additional $1.7 billion to build a 300-megawatt AI data center in Saskatchewan, with Cerebras and CoreWeave signed on as tenants. * BCE unit Bell Canada is working with the provincialgovernment to build and run the AI data center. * Once complete, it will be the largest purpose-built AIdata center development anywhere in Canada, Bell Canada said. * BCE expects to incur about $1.3 billion in capitalexpenditures in 2026 for the construction of this facility. * The investment will be funded through a combination ofdebt and cash on hand. * Cerebras will supply AI chips for large-scale training andcomputing, while CoreWeave will provide AI computing capacityusing Nvidia processors. * Construction is set to begin this spring, with thefacility coming online in phases, and the first stage expectedto be operational in the first half of 2027. * The facility will serve as a regional hub for advancedcomputing, helping expand Canada's AI ecosystem while deliveringeconomic benefits to Saskatchewan. * The data center will be connected to Bell's fibre networkthrough a partnership with SaskTel, with the two companiesacting as go-to-market partners to offer AI-powered products andservices to SaskTel customers. * BCE raised its forecast for AI-powered solutions revenueto about $2 billion by 2028, from about $1.5 billion earlier. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru)