Bell Canada has signed an artificial intelligence infrastructure deal with AI firm Cohere. Under the agreement, Bell will provide data centre capacity via its Merritt, B.C. facility, while Cohere will operate its large language models through Bell AI Fabric.
This will be done with support from Buzz High Performance Computing, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Hive Digital Technologies Ltd., which will deliver an AI-native cloud layer using Quebec-based Hypertec’s hardware cluster and NVIDIA accelerated computing to support production-grade AI workloads.
Toronto-based Cohere will use the platform to operate its foundation models and support secure enterprise-grade AI solutions for government and business customers. Together, the companies will build the conditions required for critical research and development to be conducted related to AI models using Canadian infrastructure.
“This agreement underscores the role Bell AI Fabric is playing in helping organizations move from experimentation to production on infrastructure that is located, operated and governed in Canada,” said Michel Richer, president of Bell AI Fabric, in a news release.
Bell and Cohere first announced a partnership last July to provide full-stack sovereign AI solutions for government and enterprise customers across Canada, and at the time, the plan was to incorporate Cohere’s agentic AI platform North into Bell AI Fabric, making it available to government and enterprise customers. This enabled customers to create AI agents and devise automation solutions without the need to manage the AI infrastructure themselves. “For enterprises and governments, adopting AI is not just about having access to powerful models. It’s about knowing where those models run, how data is protected and whether the technology can be deployed with the security and reliability their work requires,” said Michael Pelosi, Cohere’s country manager for Canada. “This collaboration gives Cohere another way to support customers in Canada with advanced AI that is built for real use, on infrastructure that reflects Canadian priorities.”
