Bell and Buzz HPC’s primary objective is to supply safe entry to large-scale AI computing sources positioned fully inside Canada
In sum – what to know:
Canada features sovereign AI capability – Buzz HPC and Bell Canada are constructing a nationwide AI infrastructure utilizing Nvidia GPUs, totally hosted in Canadian-owned amenities to fulfill strict information residency guidelines.
Deployment begins in Manitoba – The rollout begins later this yr with a 5 MW website, increasing into further Bell AI Material information facilities throughout a number of provinces to create nationwide entry.
Give attention to safe innovation – The infrastructure is designed to energy foundational AI fashions, trade functions, and authorities initiatives whereas retaining information beneath Canadian jurisdiction and supporting sustainable progress.
BUZZ Excessive Efficiency Computing (Buzz HPC), a subsidiary of Hive Digital Applied sciences, has entered right into a partnership with Canadian operator Bell Canada with the goal of increasing sovereign AI infrastructure throughout the nation, Bell mentioned in a launch.
Underneath the phrases of the partnership, Buzz HPC will combine its Nvidia-accelerated computing sources with Bell’s fiber community, information facilities, and companion ecosystem beneath the Bell AI Material initiative. The primary objective of the initiative is to supply Canadian authorities and enterprise shoppers with safe entry to large-scale AI computing sources positioned fully inside Canada.
Buzz HPC will provide clusters of Nvidia Ampere, Hopper, and Blackwell GPUs, linked by way of Nvidia Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking. These programs might be linked with Bell’s nationwide community and companion applied sciences, together with Canadian AI agency Cohere. The mixed infrastructure is meant to assist a variety of makes use of, from coaching new foundational AI fashions to refining present ones, whereas guaranteeing information residency and compliance with nationwide cybersecurity necessities, in keeping with Bell.
The businesses mentioned the collaboration will lengthen throughout a number of provinces, starting with a 5 MW deployment in Manitoba later this yr, adopted by enlargement into further Bell AI Material information facilities. The phased rollout goals to create broad nationwide protection for superior AI infrastructure inside Canadian-owned amenities.
“Sovereign is the brand new normal for cloud computing, and this partnership with Bell marks the start of a brand new period for AI innovation in Canada, with Nvidia-accelerated infrastructure deployed domestically and a world footprint serving worldwide prospects, we’re uniquely positioned to assist Canada lead in AI whereas defending its digital independence,” mentioned Frank Holmes, government chairman at Buzz HPC.
“Buzz HPC is likely one of the few Canadian cloud service suppliers with a purpose-built AI cloud that has expertise working GPU clusters at scale. We’re excited to companion with Buzz HPC for its AI infrastructure options – an vital layer within the Bell AI Material ecosystem delivering the superior workloads our prospects want in a sovereign, non-public and safe Canadian facility,” mentioned John Watson, group president for enterprise markets and AI at Bell.
In Could, Bell Canada unveiled Bell AI Material, an funding that goals to create the nation’s largest AI compute undertaking. Bell AI Material will create a nationwide community beginning with a knowledge heart cluster in British Columbia that may goal to supply upwards of 500 MW of hydro-electric powered AI compute capability throughout six amenities.
With this undertaking, Bell mentioned it will likely be ready to assist Canadian enterprises and governments throughout their full spectrum of AI wants, from technique and functions growth by way of infrastructure deployment.
Underneath this initiative, it was anticipated that the primary of Bell’s AI Material amenities to return on-line in June in partnership with AI inference supplier, Groq and the launch of their 7 MW AI inference facility in Kamloops, British Columbia. Further AI amenities will come on-line by the tip of 2026, together with a 26 MW AI information heart being inbuilt partnership with Thompson Rivers College (TRU).
