The international company CloudHQ has announced a $4.8 billion investment to develop the largest data center campus in Mexico, a project framed within Plan México that seeks to position the country as a benchmark in next-generation digital infrastructure.
The announcement was made during President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s morning press conference by Keith Harney, Chief Operating Officer of the company, who explained that the CloudHQ Querétaro Campus will cover 52 hectares and include six hyperscale cloud and artificial intelligence data centers, with a capacity of up to 600 MW of critical computing load.
Harney emphasized that the project will generate 7,200 jobs during the construction phase and 900 highly skilled permanent positions, strengthening Mexico’s capacity to integrate into the global digital economy.
The first stage includes an initial investment of $250 million and the construction of a 2 GW switching substation, in coordination with energy authorities, to support both regional grid expansion and the operations of the campus. The goal is for the complex to be ready by 2027.
The executive highlighted that the campus design will adhere to international sustainability standards. CloudHQ will implement a water-free cooling system and pursue LEED Gold and Silver certifications (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), representing one of the company’s strongest environmental commitments.
CloudHQ began its collaboration with the Querétaro state government in 2021 to acquire land and prepare the basic infrastructure. The company is currently working with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace) to secure the first 200 MW of the 900 MW that will power the campus.
With this initial supply, the company aims to finalize a long-term lease agreement with a global technology firm and formally move forward with the construction of the campus.
With more than 10 years of operations and presence in 23 international campuses, CloudHQ has a contracted capacity of 1.5 GW in digital infrastructure services, used by some of the world’s largest technology companies.
The company’s business model enables firms to develop critical applications such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, as well as connected and autonomous vehicle systems.
President Claudia Sheinbaum welcomed the announcement and stressed that these types of investments strengthen Mexico’s technological capacity.
“It gives the country the ability to process data related to artificial intelligence and, in general, to make use of information technologies,” she said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard announced that the Federal Government is advancing the creation of a Specialization in Data and Artificial Intelligence to train young people in these fields and ensure that Mexico has the talent needed to take full advantage of the transition toward a data-driven digital economy.
Related: Mexico Ranks 4th in Sustainable Investment in Latin America
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