Bell Canada (TSX: BCE) and SAP Canada announced a partnership on February 10 to build a Canadian-operated cloud infrastructure designed to keep government and corporate data within national borders.
The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to combine Bell AI Fabric’s network infrastructure with SAP Sovereign Cloud On-Site technology. The platform will serve public sector agencies and regulated industries that need strict control over sensitive information.
The system will operate entirely within Canada, staffed by Canadian personnel working in specialized facilities. The arrangement aims to shield data from foreign access and meet Canadian data residency requirements.
SAP Canada will integrate Cohere’s artificial intelligence platform into the cloud service. The Canadian AI company will provide enterprise-grade models that process data locally rather than sending information to foreign servers.
The partnership addresses growing concerns among Canadian organizations about data sovereignty and foreign surveillance. Government agencies and companies in finance, healthcare and other regulated sectors increasingly demand guarantees that their data remains under Canadian jurisdiction.
“Building a sovereign digital foundation is essential for Canada’s economic competitiveness,” said John Watson, president of Bell Business Markets, Bell Cyber, AI Fabric, and Ateko.
This announcement follows similar moves in Europe, where France said in late January it will phase out Microsoft Teams and Zoom from government use by 2027. The French government plans to replace US platforms with Visio, a domestically developed videoconferencing system, citing concerns about foreign surveillance and data sovereignty.
Read: France Bans US Videoconferencing Platforms Across Government
Germany and Denmark have launched parallel initiatives to reduce reliance on American technology infrastructure.
The platform will enable organizations to modernize legacy systems and adopt cloud services while maintaining control over where their information resides. Bell will provide the network and data center infrastructure, while SAP delivers the cloud software and the Canadian operations team.
Neither company disclosed financial terms or a timeline for launching the service.
Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
