Investing.com — BCE (NYSE:BCE) Inc (TSX:BCE) and Toronto-based AI firm Cohere have announced a strategic partnership aimed at delivering sovereign, enterprise-grade AI solutions to Canadian governments and businesses. Under the agreement, Bell Canada will serve as Cohere’s preferred infrastructure provider in Canada, while Cohere becomes Bell’s go-to supplier for large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI platforms.
Cohere’s AI capabilities, including its North agentic AI platform, will now be integrated into Bell AI Fabric, a multi-layered ecosystem comprising data centres, fibre infrastructure, cloud software, and AI applications. The partnership enables Canadian organizations to access state-of-the-art AI tools without compromising data sovereignty or security.
“At a critical time for Canada, we’re proud to partner with Cohere to create a sovereign, full-stack AI solution, custom-built to support Canadian government and business,” said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of Bell Canada. “Working together, we will both transform Canadian businesses through cutting edge AI capabilities, while ensuring that the data remains secure and within Canada.”
North, Cohere’s agentic AI development platform, will be made available across Bell’s enterprise and government customer base, enabling efficient deployment of custom AI agents. The platform is designed to preserve Canadian data privacy standards while eliminating the need for customers to manage complex AI infrastructure.
Cohere co-founder and CEO Aidan Gomez called the collaboration a significant step for Canadian AI adoption. “Our partnership with Bell Canada will provide the Canadian government and enterprises with world-class options for sovereign, security-first AI,” he said. “This has the potential to be truly transformative for organizations looking to massively increase their productivity and efficiency without any compromise on data security and privacy.”
Bell plans to integrate North internally to empower employees in building AI agents that utilize proprietary data for operational improvements. Lessons learned internally will inform Bell’s tech services brand, Ateko, as it aids customers in their AI deployments.
The government’s endorsement further signals growing confidence in domestic AI capabilities. “These companies exemplify the spirit of Canadian ingenuity and are solidifying Canada’s sovereign AI capabilities,” said Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. “This partnership will help strengthen our position on the global stage and pave the way for a brighter, more advanced future for the Canadian economy.”