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As Canada looks to build a strong and secure AI compute foundation to support research, innovation, and fuel industry needs, Queen’s University and Bell Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a proposal to build and operate a supercomputing facility, to be located in Kingston, Ontario. Once completed, the building will be able to host a globally leading AI supercomputer, enabling made-in-Canada groundbreaking research and technical advances.  

The MOU supports the university’s response to the federal government’s call for interest in the Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program, and investment of over $900M, announced in Budget 2024 and Budget 2025. If government funding is secured, Queen’s – already home to the Centre for Advanced Computing and Canada’s largest cohort of researchers and students advancing extreme-scale systems – will take the lead on research, chip procurement, system architecture, advanced technology programs and the design, build and operation of the supercomputer. Bell will lead the design, financing, construction, and maintenance of the facility, that will adhere to high efficiency standards and include an innovative heat recapture system.

“We are very pleased to partner with Bell on this transformative project,” says Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal (Research). “This new facility will serve as a national testbed for Canadian technology and significantly strengthen our capacity to advance AI innovation, support research and discovery across disciplines, attract top talent, and ensure that critical AI development remains in Canada.”

In a world increasingly dependent on digital technologies, high performance computing infrastructure is crucial for protecting sensitive data and intellectual property, deploying innovations, and securing economic independence. Canada, while home to world-leading artificial intelligence (AI) and computing experts, still lacks sovereign and secure supercomputing infrastructure to power research and industry needs.  

Today, Canada’s sensitive data – including genomic datasets, bank information, and manufacturers’ supply chains – and AI models are stored and trained on foreign systems, which raises concerns about data sovereignty and security. Canada is the only G7 country without a global top 30 supercomputer. The new facility and supercomputer will help safeguard sensitive information and intellectual property from foreign government oversight.  

“It is time for Canada to join the countries that host the world's most powerful supercomputers and move from being an AI consumer to becoming an AI producer,” says Queen’s supercomputing research lead Ryan Grant (Electrical and Computer Engineering). “I'm confident we are connecting the right experts and the right organizations to make this happen.”

By combining Bell’s trusted telecommunications expertise with Queen’s supercomputing research leadership and operational experience with top world supercomputing facilities, the project will support academic work, while also providing support for Canadian companies developing and scaling businesses and government AI applications.

"This facility will complement recent federal investments and empower our country's top talent to turn breakthrough research into real-world solutions and economic growth”, says Bell Fabric AI president Dan Rink. “By giving our innovators more resources and choice, we are building a more competitive and resilient future for Canadian technology. This ensures our innovators have choice and helps build a more resilient and competitive national ecosystem.”

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