Canada's AI Future Powers Up With BUZZ HPC's Sovereign Data Hub in Toronto

HIVE Digital Technologies, through its subsidiary BUZZ High Performance Computing (BUZZ HPC), has completed the acquisition of a 7.2-megawatt (MW) data center site in Toronto, Canada, to build a sovereign AI infrastructure. This development is a strategic step toward expanding BUZZ HPC's high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities and supporting the growth of Canada’s AI ecosystem. The data center will serve as a critical node in the company’s broader vision to establish a sovereign, Tier 3 data center in Canada, enabling the deployment of advanced AI training and inference workloads.

The Toronto site, located in Canada’s largest tech hub, will be engineered for sustainability and performance, utilizing Ontario’s clean electricity grid and deploying liquid-cooling systems capable of supporting GPU racks of 150 kW or higher. This design will enable the hosting of advanced GPU clusters optimized for high-density AI training and inference tasks. The facility will also support colocation services for enterprises, institutions, and governments seeking secure and sovereign data infrastructure. This move aligns with Canada’s national focus on sovereign AI compute, which aims to ensure data residency and security under Canadian jurisdiction.

BUZZ HPC President and COO Craig Tavares highlighted the significance of the acquisition, emphasizing Toronto’s role as a global center for AI research, higher education, and fiber optic connectivity. He noted that the site will provide BUZZ HPC with a strategic footprint to develop a sovereign AI data center, ensuring data sovereignty and national leadership in AI innovation. Tavares further emphasized that the acquisition marks the beginning of BUZZ HPC’s expansion into sovereign AI infrastructure, with plans to upgrade the site to Tier 3 standards and integrate green energy sources as part of its sustainability goals.

The data center will also support BUZZ HPC’s partnership with Bell Canada and its Bell AI Fabric ecosystem, expanding access to sovereign AI infrastructure across Canada. As part of the collaboration, BUZZ HPC will deploy GPU clusters powered by NVIDIA’s Ampere, Hopper, and Blackwell architectures, connected via NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking. These systems will be linked with Bell’s national network and partner technologies, including Canadian AI firm Cohere. This infrastructure aims to support a wide range of AI applications, from foundational model development to industry-specific workloads, while ensuring compliance with strict data residency and cybersecurity regulations.

The project aligns with broader Canadian government initiatives to strengthen the nation’s AI capabilities. Canada’s Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy, announced in Budget 2024, includes a $2 billion investment over five years to support AI compute infrastructure and ecosystem development. The strategy emphasizes the need for affordable, cutting-edge compute resources to drive innovation and maintain Canada’s competitiveness in the global AI race. BUZZ HPC’s efforts to expand sovereign AI infrastructure contribute to this national vision, offering scalable and secure computing resources to Canadian enterprises, researchers, and government entities.

BUZZ HPC’s acquisition of the 7.2 MW Toronto site underscores the growing importance of sovereign AI infrastructure in the global AI race. With increasing demand for high-performance computing, the ability to host data and AI workloads within national borders is becoming a strategic imperative for governments and businesses alike. The project’s focus on sustainability, scalability, and compliance with data residency laws positions BUZZ HPC as a key player in Canada’s AI landscape, supporting the development of AI solutions while ensuring data sovereignty.

The project is expected to create a significant number of high-value jobs and contribute to Canada’s economic growth by strengthening its leadership in AI innovation. The deployment of sovereign AI infrastructure also aligns with global trends, where nations are prioritizing digital sovereignty to protect critical data and ensure national security. BUZZ HPC’s strategic investments in advanced GPU clusters, liquid-cooled data centers, and partnerships with Canadian telecommunications and AI firms reflect the company’s commitment to leading the transition toward sovereign AI computing.

The development of BUZZ HPC’s Toronto data center is part of a larger trend of increased private and public sector investments in sovereign AI infrastructure. With AI driving transformative changes across industries, the ability to access secure, scalable compute resources is essential for maintaining competitive advantage. BUZZ HPC’s collaboration with Bell Canada and its integration into the Bell AI Fabric ecosystem exemplifies how private companies and telecommunications providers can work together to meet the growing demand for sovereign AI infrastructure and support national innovation goals.