HIVE Digital Technologies announced on June 18 a $220 million artificial intelligence infrastructure agreement through its subsidiary BUZZ High Performance Computing, partnering with Bell Canada and Cohere to build a sovereign Canadian AI platform. The three-year GPU cloud contract represents one of the largest AI infrastructure deployments announced in Canada. The partnership aims to combine Bell's connectivity and data centre infrastructure, Cohere's enterprise-grade AI models, and BUZZ HPC's NVIDIA-accelerated GPU cloud capabilities into a unified technology stack designed to serve Canadian businesses and government organizations, supporting Canada's strategy to maintain control of data and computing resources within national borders.
BUZZ HPC Deploys 2,304 NVIDIA GPUs at Bell Facility in British Columbia
The project centers on a sovereign AI strategy that keeps data, computing infrastructure, and AI systems within Canada. Under the agreement, BUZZ HPC will deploy its AI cloud infrastructure at Bell's purpose-built facility in Merritt, British Columbia.
The deployment includes 2,304 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs as part of NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 rack-scale systems. The infrastructure will also use NVIDIA Quantum InfiniBand networking, advanced liquid cooling technology, and be built according to NVIDIA's reference architecture standards.
According to HIVE, the AI factories will be powered by renewable energy and designed for ultra-low power usage effectiveness (PUE). Canadian technology company Hypertec will supply and integrate the GPU infrastructure, handling hardware procurement, system integration, installation, commissioning, and ongoing OEM support.
The deployment is expected to become operational between late 2026 and early 2027.
HIVE Funds GPU Purchase with $115 Million Convertible Note Proceeds
HIVE said it is funding the purchase of the NVIDIA systems using part of the proceeds from its $115 million convertible note financing completed in April.
The company said the project will contribute to its growing high-performance computing business. HIVE President and CEO Aydin Kilic stated that contracted HPC revenue target has surpassed $100m. The NVIDIA GB200 deployment is expected to add approximately contracted $70m ARR to current realized $35m ARR.
Kilic described AI factories as essential infrastructure for the next generation of computing. "A technological revolution requires new infrastructure. The industrial revolution required factories. The internet required fibre networks and hyperscale data centres," he remarked. "Artificial intelligence requires AI Factories, Tier III data centers with AI optimized GPU compute clusters, that is what we are building."
HIVE Executives Describe Partnership as Milestone for Canadian AI Infrastructure
HIVE executive chairman Frank Holmes said the agreement represents a major step toward commercializing Canada's AI expertise. "Canada helped pioneer modern artificial intelligence. What we have lacked is not talent, it is industrial infrastructure to commercialize that talent at scale before others do it for us," he said.
Holmes added that the partnership validates HIVE's position in AI infrastructure and data centre operations.
BUZZ HPC President and COO Craig Tavares said the project goes beyond a single commercial agreement and reflects a broader effort to establish domestic AI capabilities. "These AI factories convert renewable energy into one of the most valuable products in the world: intelligence," he said. "The countries that own the infrastructure will capture the economic value. The countries that don't will rent it. We chose to build."
Bell and Cohere Integrate into Sovereign AI Platform Stack
The partnership places BUZZ HPC's computing resources alongside Bell AI Fabric's national infrastructure and Cohere's enterprise AI offerings. Together, the companies said they are creating a full-stack AI platform designed to provide connectivity, data centres, compute power, cybersecurity, and AI models within a single Canadian ecosystem.
The infrastructure will remain entirely within Canada and operate under Canadian standards. HIVE said the project strengthens BUZZ HPC's position in the country's sovereign AI market while helping support the growing demand for secure, domestically controlled AI infrastructure.
FAQ
What did HIVE Digital Technologies announce on June 18?
HIVE Digital Technologies announced a $220 million artificial intelligence infrastructure agreement through its subsidiary BUZZ High Performance Computing, partnering with Bell Canada and Cohere to build a sovereign Canadian AI platform.
When will the NVIDIA GB200 deployment become operational?
The deployment is expected to become operational between late 2026 and early 2027 at Bell's facility in Merritt, British Columbia.
How is HIVE funding the GPU purchase?
HIVE is funding the purchase of the NVIDIA systems using part of the proceeds from its $115 million convertible note financing completed in April.
