Energy shortage puts the southeast as an option to build a Data Center

But the nature of Data Centers has led them to overcome the problem of energy shortage that plagues the world. Mexico, for example, in recent weeks has recorded massive blackouts in various parts of the country, highlighting the repercussions and concerns of these events on critical infrastructure. A blackout of several hours could put these types of spaces at serious risk.

In the country, it is estimated that there are around 51 Data Centers operating that demand an energy consumption of 305 megawatts. But by 2029, another 73 Data Centers are expected to arrive, which will imply an energy need of 1,400 megawatts, that is, the energy use of a little more than two cities in Querétaro, said Adriana Rivera, president of the Mexican Association of Data Centers.

“What is failing now is the electrical network, which is its transmission and distribution, and that is where we are very concerned. We need to be certain of the availability of energy, as well as invest in the electrical grid and we are also convinced that energy generation has to be sustainable,” the director warned in an interview within the GSIC Panduit Summit 2024 framework.

For a Data Center to become a site, three factors are required: strategic geographic location, telecommunications infrastructure, energy and water resources. The north of the country, thanks to nearshoring and its manufacturing vocation, is positioned as the idyllic area for the development of critical infrastructures, but the energy and water shortage has made it begin to look at the southeast as another option, despite the fact that it is an area seismic.

“We would love to be in the southeast because it is an area that requires investment and we have spoken about it with the authorities. We want to be in the southeast, but to help us create all this energy and technological connectivity that we need,” said Adriana Rivera.

During the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, he has placed emphasis on promoting infrastructure works such as the Mayan Train and the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to enhance the economic development of this region. This strategy has been amplified at the level of connectivity where, through its company CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos and the public-private Altán Redes, they are densifying the telecommunications network with the installation of more towers to connect to remote areas of the southeast. But there is still more development needed to match the north of the country

For this reason, the board revealed that it has held high-level meetings with the Ministry of Economy (SE) so that the State begins to view Data Centers as an essential industry and thereby guarantee access to energy and water. But also to detonate its densification at the national level, since the entry of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence will require greater information storage capacity provided by Data Centers.