As artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent in the digital world, so does its reach into the physical. What is now an empty section of farmland on Regina’s outskirts may soon be used as part of the technology’s exponential expansion.

The proposed facility, described as an “AI data centre campus” in a recent proposal to the Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood, would be built just outside Regina city limits, a little more than a kilometre south of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Regina campus.

In a letter of intent to the RM of Sherwood, a spokesperson for a numbered corporation requested a change in zoning for two parcels of land equaling 160 acres (65 hectares), located adjacent to the Regina South Switching Station.

According to the letter published Feb. 9, the multiphase project will include a campus of interconnected low-rise data centre buildings covering more than 500,000 square feet, shared administrative office buildings, 300 parking stalls, and a SaskPower substation.

The corporation also claimed the project would create future development along Park Street Road and could possibly include a research partnership with the University of Regina, reclaiming heat generated from the data centres for use in greenhouses.

The letter ends by stating Phase 1 of the program will consist of a 90,000 square foot building, with the company hoping to expedite in 2026.

In its response to the letter, the City of Regina agreed with the RM’s position of waiving the requirement for a concept/secondary plan to be submitted prior to development occurring.

While the company behind the data centre is not named in the application, several references in the accompanying documents point to the application being part of Bell Canada’s AI Fabric initiative — a nationwide project focused on supporting Canadian businesses and the government’s AI needs.

In May 2025, Bell Canada announced plans to open six AI data centres in B.C. as part of the initiative.

Both Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina (U of R) submitted letters of support for the project. The post-secondary institutions argued the facility will allow for immense learning opportunities for students and graduates, along with applied research opportunities.

“The proposed data centre is an opportunity to advance research, education, and commercialization work in these areas of existing strength and interest to the University through collaborative programming,” U of R vice president of research Dr. Chris Yost said in his letter.

“There are potential spillover benefits for the local economy and Innovation Saskatchewan’s Research and Technology Park … from attracting established companies and building new spin-out ventures that may benefit from collaborating with the data centre.”

Dean Mackay, provost and vice-president academic for Sask Polytech, wrote that his organization is in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Bell Fabric AI — covering “applied research, workforce development and sustainability.”

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski welcomes the proposed project.

“I think it’s a very exciting opportunity,” he said. “I know the location can be very specific to the utilities and those types of things that are required but I see it as an exciting thing nearby.