Huge AI factory to open in Merritt by the end of the month

Call it what you like -- AI factory, AI Fabric, AI data centre or AI infrastructure.

Either or any way, the new Bell Artificial Intelligence Fabric data centre opening at the end of the month in Merritt is a major investment in the community, the province and in next-generation AI innovation.

"Yes, it's a huge and significant investment in Merritt," said Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz.

"It's the kind of investment we need in this community and the future. A building that size will pay taxes, provide the kind of jobs we need in our community and those people will buy homes here, spend money here."

The AI factory is a bright spot for Merritt.

The town, with a population of 7,300, has faced significant hardship: the Aspen Planers sawmill closed, putting 100 people out of work; the hospital's emergency room has experienced regular temporary closures; and an elementary school recently announced its shutdown.

"The AI data centre is a sign that Merritt is growing," said the mayor.

"It will help keep our economy ticking along."

Bell -- Canada's largest communications company -- hasn't revealed the value of the AI factory in Merritt.

And the number of jobs created after construction remains somewhat secret.

Bell isn't saying a number, Goetz thinks it might be 35.

The AI factory covers about three acres of the five-acre site adjacent to the Merritt Municipal Airport.

Water and power infrastructure was extended to the site a few years ago when the Government of Canada considered the location for a cannabis-growing facility.

That plan fell through, leaving the site ripe for redevelopment by Bell.

The Bell AI Fabric facility is a partnership with BUZZ High Performance Computing, a subsidiary of the publicly traded HIVE Digital Technologies.

AI can be difficult to wrap your head around.

But, essentially it's complex computer systems capable of performing tasks that historically only humans could, such as learning, comprehension, problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity.

The massive and escalating demand for AI requires data centres -- the so-called AI factories -- to have high-performance computing capacity, fibre network, massive server hardware and software, cloud capabilities and integration with partners and customers.

Customers will be businesses, researchers and public institutions like healthcare and defence.

That requires an immense amount of safe, stable and affordable electricity.

In the case of Merritt AI factory, the gross capacity of 6.5 megawatts will be served by clean, hydroelectric power from BCHydro.

There's an option for additional power if it becomes available.

A closed-loop water system will cool the hard-working servers and equipment, with an option to use the by-product heat for agrotech or industry that wants to locate close by.

Bell notes that having a 'sovereign' AI supercluster of data centres is important to provide AI services to Canadian customers from private and secure Canadian facilities.

The Merritt AI factory is part of Bell's six supercluster data centre plan for BC.

The first 7 megawatt factory opened in Kamloops earlier this year.

Two more are planned for Kamloops, opening later this year and next.

The other two haven't been announced yet.