[Digital Today reporter Jae-won Choi] Canadian telecommunications company Bell will build an ultra-large AI data centre hub in Saskatchewan with total capacity of 1.2 GW. The investment is expected to exceed C$50 billion, or about 49.0 trillion won. If the plan is realised, it will be the largest capital investment project in Saskatchewan's history.

On Sept. 15 (local time), IT outlet TechRadar reported that Bell and the Saskatchewan government signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to add up to 900 MW to an existing 300 MW data centre. Total capacity will expand to 1.2 GW, four times the current plan.

The biggest challenge for the project is electricity. The initial 300 MW facility, which broke ground in April, uses the provincial power grid, but the additional 900 MW must secure a separate power source. Saskatchewan introduced a 'Bring Your Own Power' principle in its data centre policy announced last month, requiring large operators to meet their power demand directly.

Bell plans to supply power to the additional facilities by building a natural gas power plant with a third-party operator. The plant will be run separately from the existing grid, and Bell will bear the costs. The data centre will also use a closed-loop recirculating cooling system that does not discharge cooling water externally or require continuous replenishment, in order to reduce the burden on local water resources.

The provincial government said that once the project is completed, up to 500 permanent jobs will be created at the data centres and power facilities, and about 3,000 additional jobs are expected in security, logistics and maintenance. Bell's AI Fabric headquarters will also be located in Saskatchewan.

The initial 300 MW facility is set to begin phased operations from 2027. As of last month, Saskatchewan had received more than 30 data centre development applications. As AI data centres surge, large projects are increasingly required not only to secure cheap power but also to build their own infrastructure that does not burden power grids and water resources.