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Bell & Simon Fraser University Team Up to Advance Canada’s AI & Supercomputing Ecosystem

Bell & Simon Fraser University Team Up to Advance Canada’s AI & Supercomputing Ecosystem

September 26, 2025

Bell & Simon Fraser University: Collaboration Will Bolster Canada’s Sovereign AI Infrastructure, Promote the Development of Clean & Sustainable Data Centre Technologies, and Invest in Canada’s AI Talent Pipeline

  • Bell and Simon Fraser University have signed an agreement to significantly advance Canada’s AI and supercomputing capabilities
  • Collaboration strengthens Canada’s AI sovereignty by establishing a cutting-edge AI centre and expanding supercomputing resources, ensuring secure and locally controlled AI infrastructure
  • Announcement is an investment in the next generation of Canadian AI talent

Bell and Simon Fraser University (SFU) have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on advancing Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) and sovereign supercomputing ecosystem.

The Cedar Supercomputing Centre (CSC) located in Burnaby, British Columbia, is one of Canada’s most powerful and energy-efficient research computing platforms. The CSC specializes in handling secure and sensitive data, making it a critical resource for Canadian researchers, industry, and government working on cutting-edge AI applications. Through this agreement, Bell and SFU will work to expand the CSC and provide Canadian researchers and industry users with the computational resources they need to make groundbreaking discoveries and develop innovative solutions to pressing challenges.

The MOU will also expand research opportunities for both SFU and Bell Canada. By connecting the CSC with the future Bell AI Fabric site at TRU (opens in new window) , the organizations will provide scalable support for industry and researchers that fosters a vibrant and competitive innovation ecosystem to retain talent and attract investment to Canada.

This agreement will bolster Canada’s sovereign AI infrastructure, promote the development of clean and sustainable data centre technologies and invest in Canada’s AI talent pipeline. By investing in Canada’s sovereign AI ecosystem, Bell and SFU will further contribute to Canada’s economic resilience and national security by ensuring that Canadian organizations have access to secure, reliable and locally controlled AI resources.

Quotes

“Bell is excited to collaborate with SFU, a leader in AI research and innovation. Together, we are investing in the computing power and future talent necessary to foster a vibrant AI ecosystem. Bringing industry and academia together to tackle some of Canada’s most pressing challenges is a critical element if Canada is to compete and win in the AI economy. Through this agreement, we will accelerate the development of innovative AI solutions that drive economic growth and improve the lives of Canadians.”
     –       Dan Rink, President, Bell AI Fabric

“The SFU—Bell collaboration will empower Canadian industry and researchers to drive groundbreaking innovation, while delivering a workforce with the skills and expertise to position Canada as a global AI leader. Together, we are building a vibrant AI ecosystem that will deliver significant benefits to all Canadians.”
     –       Dugan O’Neil, Vice President, Research and Innovation, Simon Fraser University

Bell & Simon Fraser University Team Up to Advance Canada’s AI & Supercomputing Ecosystem

Source

Simon Fraser

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