Bell Canada has entered into an agreement with Cohere to utilize its artificial intelligence infrastructure via Bell AI Fabric. This partnership involves Buzz High Performance Computing, a subsidiary of Hive Digital Technologies Ltd., and Hypertec, along with Nvidia accelerated computing. Cohere, based in Toronto, will leverage this platform to run its foundational models and offer secure AI solutions to government and business clients.
The collaboration aims to establish the necessary environment for essential AI research and development using Canadian resources. Michel Richer, president of Bell AI Fabric, emphasized the platform’s role in facilitating organizations’ transition from experimental AI projects to production on Canadian-operated infrastructure.
Bell introduced Bell AI Fabric over a year ago to cater to Canadian businesses and government entities for various AI services, including strategy development and infrastructure deployment. BCE Inc., Bell’s parent company, raised its revenue projection for the AI sector, anticipating around $2 billion in revenue from AI-powered solutions by 2028.
Alongside Bell AI Fabric, BCE initiated tech services brand Ateko and cybersecurity brand Bell Cyber last year, marking its shift towards tech services. The company reported a 113% year-over-year revenue growth in AI-powered solutions from these brands in the first quarter.
Bell and Cohere initially announced their partnership in July to deliver comprehensive AI solutions to government and corporate clients across Canada. The collaboration integrates Cohere’s agentic AI platform North into Bell AI Fabric, enabling customers to create AI agents and automation solutions without managing AI infrastructure.
Michael Pelosi, Cohere’s country manager for Canada, highlighted the significance of AI deployment that aligns with Canadian standards and priorities, emphasizing the importance of security and reliability in AI applications.