Deloitte Canada and SaskTel announce strategic alliance to bring artificial intelligence capabilities and solutions to market, advancing Canada's AI vision

TORONTO and REGINA, SK, Sept. 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Deloitte Canada and SaskTel today announced a strategic alliance to drive the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in Saskatchewan and across Canada. This alliance is focused on developing and launching service capabilities and facilities, such as an AI factory, designed to accelerate Canada's sovereign AI strategy and unlock the potential of AI economic zones – designated centres offering accelerated computing and sector-specific AI solutions.

This pioneering joint venture brings together Deloitte's leadership in AI strategy, their deep sector knowledge, and unmatched real-world business insights combined with SaskTel's robust network infrastructure, advanced connectivity (5G, fibre, and IoT capabilities), and Tier III data centres.

The AI factory will deliver innovative, cost-effective AI solutions tailored to high-value sectors – including healthcare, mining, and agriculture – crucial to Saskatchewan, Canada and international markets, driving productivity and global competitiveness.

The initiative will utilize SaskTel's existing data centre assets, expanding Canada's AI compute capacity and supporting the co-development of Canadian-owned intellectual property. Further, through this alliance, SaskTel and Deloitte will establish a dedicated Applied AI lab in Saskatchewan, focused on ongoing R&D and innovation. The Applied AI lab will collaborate with academic institutions to develop sector-specific AI solutions and foster an inclusive, innovation-driven ecosystem.

This growing alliance marks a significant step forward in building a resilient AI ecosystem in Saskatchewan and across Canada. By bringing together leading technology and sector expertise with a commitment to inclusive innovation, SaskTel and Deloitte are positioning Saskatchewan and Canada to lead in the next era of AI-powered growth.

Quotes

"Canada's future relies on building strong, sovereign, and safe AI and digital infrastructure. This alliance shows how together, Deloitte and SaskTel are enabling the application of responsible AI innovation to help secure our nation's place as a global leader in the digital economy and to help all Canadian organizations be more competitive globally."

-       Anthony Viel, CEO of Deloitte Canada and Chile

"Canada is at a critical turning point in the global AI race, where the imperative to turn ambition into impact has never been greater. This alliance between SaskTel and Deloitte is a tangible manifestation of the Canadian AI economic zone vision, where we're moving beyond innovation and into deployment that delivers for Canadian industries and communities in a responsible and sustainable way."

-       Jas Jaaj, Global AI Markets, Ecosystems & Alliances leader and Managing Partner of AI for Deloitte Canada.

"The partnership between SaskTel and Deloitte is a significant step forward for Saskatchewan and highlights our government's commitment to innovation and technology, delivering new opportunities for growth, skilled jobs, and a strengthened economy. With SaskTel's world-class fibre infrastructure and skilled workforce, this project has Saskatchewan poised to become a leader in the digital economy. We are excited for what the future holds and proud to be a valuable centre for next-generation technologies."

-       The Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for SaskTel

"SaskTel is committed to driving technological advancement and fostering innovation within our province. Saskatchewan is poised to lead in AI innovation and by joining forces with a technology leader like Deloitte, we are not only investing in technology, but in the future prosperity of Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole."

-       Charlene Gavel, SaskTel President and CEO

About Deloitte
At Deloitte, our Purpose is to make an impact that matters. We exist to inspire and help our people, organizations, communities, and countries to thrive. Our work underpins a prosperous society where people can find meaning and opportunity. It builds consumer and business confidence, empowers organizations to find imaginative ways of deploying capital, enables fair, trusted, and functioning social and economic institutions, and allows our friends, families, and communities to enjoy the quality of life that comes with a sustainable future. And as the largest Canadian-owned and operated professional services firm in our country, we are proud to work alongside our clients to make a positive impact for all Canadians. 
 
Deloitte provides industry-leading consulting, audit and assurance, tax, advisory and managed services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500^® and thousands of private companies. We bring together world-class capabilities, insights, and services to address clients' most complex business challenges. 
 
Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms. 
 
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About SaskTel
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with approximately $1.3 billion in annual revenue and nearly 1.4 million customer connections including more than 680,000 wireless accesses, 228,000 wireline network accesses, 293,000 internet and data accesses, 107,000 maxTV service subscribers, and 68,000 security monitoring customers. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries offer a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 3,200 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

SOURCE Deloitte Canada