CloudHQ, one of the world’s leading data center developers, has announced a significant $4.8 billion investment for the Mexico Plan that will lead to the development of six new data centers in Querétaro, Mexico. This large-scale infrastructure plan was confirmed by the Federal Government of Mexico’s Secretary of Economy and the Ministry of Economy. The $4.8 billion data center project will provide six large-scale data centers spanning 52 hectares and is one of the most significant private technology investments in Mexico’s history. “This means jobs with high added value. We are talking about 7,200 direct jobs and 900 indirect jobs that these six data centers will generate in Querétaro,” President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said. President Sheinbaum continued to note that, “Mexico is determined to receive large-scale investments of this type that have to do with the new productive specialization and the transformation that is currently underway in the country, whose objective is to move it towards greater productivity, greater capacity to manage and store data, and therefore, also towards greater international competitiveness.” As for the company, CloudHQ’s Chief Operating Officer, Keith Patrick Harney, announced that the six data centers combined will have a capacity of 900 megawatts (MW). The first phase of the project, representing 200 MW, has already been captured with support from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace), with a prior investment of $250 million.
Plans for an AI Future
According to the President of Mexico, this strategic investment in six new data centers will help the country to become one of the most important regional hubs for artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing in Latin America. As Sheinbaum said, “the data centers will be the basis for the future in artificial intelligence, they will be what gives us that possibility of an accelerated digital transformation of the country, which will allow us to strengthen automation, intelligent manufacturing, cybersecurity, data analysis, and the great industries of the future, like, for example, artificial intelligence.” The AI- and data-driven future that President Sheinbaum has discussed over the last few years also directly aligns with this Mexico Plan, which enables the country to host digital operations required by the global operations of foreign companies. One of the other factors Sheinbaum has noted for Mexico — and for this $4.8 billion investment — is energy. Sheinbaum has said, regarding the new Mexico Plan for 6 data centers, “It is one of the main factors, both in its availability and in sustainability issues. On this, we are working very closely with CFE and Cenace to provide competitive advantages in energy to companies like CloudHQ, which, as I mentioned, makes it a sustainable operation in that dimension.” Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González, has also been present and noted, in a statement, that federal and local authorities have coordinated efforts to build an infrastructure strategy that will not only support the CloudHQ project but also other technology-related investments across the state. The strategy includes energy distribution, roads, and highways for access, as well as job training programs to connect local workers and communities to the new digital economy. Querétaro is already a target state for foreign investment from global technology companies, and now one of the largest technology clusters in Mexico after hosting the first six data centers of CloudHQ’s Mexico Plan.
CloudHQ’s Sustainability Focus
CloudHQ’s COO also announced their data center plans and the company’s commitment to sustainable development. Harney also noted, during the press event, that the first phase of 200MW has already been locked in with the CFE and Cenace and has been previously invested in with $250 million. The COO then also announced a number of other steps, including water-free cooling systems, along with compliance with the LEED gold and silver standards in the building and development of the six data centers. CloudHQ’s CEO, Pierre Fabre, in a release, noted that this relationship with the Mexican government will be important, saying, “We are proud of our relationship with the President of Mexico, which is already very productive, and we see that today we can work hand in hand for the country’s development.”
Preparing the New Generation
While the infrastructure for data centers and new technologies is important, the Mexican government is also looking for ways to connect and integrate local talent. As the Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, noted, “The country is not just focused on receiving foreign investment but also preparing Mexico for an economic model in which artificial intelligence plays a relevant role in our daily lives.” The secretary added, “We are talking about the 6G networks, which will take us in the short term, of course, because in the medium term we are going to be much more connected, with artificial intelligence in transport and telecommunications, which is what we see in airplanes, in their trip systems, even in your refrigerator if it is connected to the internet, or in your cell phone with ChatGPT, all of that will require the type of data centers that we are about to build and start operating.” The Ministry of Economy in Mexico has been working with the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) in preparation and implementation of a training and job placement program for recent university graduates. These training programs will be focused on being able to work, operate, and maintain these types of digital infrastructure developments.