Bell quadruples Saskatchewan AI data centre to 1.2 gigawatts with $52 billion investment Bell Canada will expand its planned AI data centre near Regina from 300 megawatts to 1.2 gigawatts, raising its total investment to $52 billion in what the province calls its largest private capital investment ever. Bell Canada announced Monday it will quadruple the size of a planned AI data centre near Regina, expanding the facility from an original 300-megawatt design to one that would eventually need 1.2 gigawatts of power. The expansion would make the project the largest private capital investment in Saskatchewan history, according to the province. To achieve it, the telecommunications giant would increase its investment in the so-called Bell AI Fabric to $52 billion. Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic made the announcement at an investment summit in Toronto hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Premier Scott Moe stood beside him as Bibic praised the Saskatchewan Party government for creating the investment environment in the province.I was asked three specific times in the last day and a half, Why did you choose Saskatchewan, Bibic told the crowd. For me the answer was simple: it is because Saskatchewan is a great place to invest. Moe compared the data centre to the construction of the railway across Canada to protect the nation's sovereignty. He stressed the need to protect the data of Canadians.Today, the infrastructure has changed, but the purpose has not, Moe said. That same nation-building purpose calls for a new kind of infrastructure, infrastructure that protects our data and secures our sovereignty. Moe also said the project will strengthen Canadian data sovereignty because it will keep Canadian data in the country.A provincial news release says the expansion could create as many as 500 permanent jobs, including about 100 management positions, and another 3,000 jobs in areas like security and maintenance. Carney called the investment a fantastic example of the type of project his government is trying to facilitate. The announcement was attended by former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Stephen Harper, who joined Bibic and Moe on stage for photos.The two-day summit in Toronto is aimed at attracting $1 trillion in investment amid a turbulent trade war with the United States. It is Canada's first-ever investment summit, which kicked off in Toronto on Monday. Bibic said he met with Moe and Minister Jeremy Harrison in July to discuss an expansion of the project. The news release says Bell Canada must supply its own power for the expansion, as it had to for the original project.The provincial government did not immediately reply to a question about whether the expansion would require further approval from the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, where the data centre is located. The RM and Reeve Ray Orb also did not immediately reply to a message seeking their comment on the expansion. The RM approved the data centre in April after the province appointed four new council members following resignations.About 100 protesters gathered outside the RM office as the mostly appointed council approved the centre.