Querétaro prepares to welcome a dozen new data centers, state development minister announces

November 28, 2024

The silouette of a person is visible at the end of a data center hallway filled with computer servers — Querétaro is already a leader in Mexico's data center industry, with over US $2 billion invested in the sector so far. (Shutterstock)

Querétaro — already a leader in the installation of data centers in Mexico — anticipates that up to 12 more centers will be announced in the north-central state in the coming months.

“We already have 18 [data centers],” state Development Minister Marco Antonio Del Prete told the newspaper El Economista, including Microsoft’s new Hyperscale Cloud Data Center Region. “The 18 already in place represent 200 megawatts of energy … and another 10 or 12 are in the process of being established.”

Three images of parts of the new Microsoft data center in Queretaro, Mexico — Microsoft has said its “hyperscale data region” in Querétaro will give companies in Mexico access to higher internet speeds. (Microsoft)

Due to the energy needs required for this specialized industry, Del Prete said the state government is working to ensure that Querétaro has adequate facilities to supply the energy needed.

“This is a collaborative effort involving the CFE [Federal Electricity Commission], the state and the data centers themselves,” he said. “The enormous energy requirements will be met with help from the CFE as well as Cenace and the CRE.”

Cenace is the National Energy Control Center and the CRE is the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Javier Prieto, executive director of solutions development for property management company JLL Work Dynamics, said a reliable energy supply is essential in the data center industry.

“Energy is one of the main operating costs of data centers, and ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply has become a priority for both operators and local authorities,” Prieto told Mexico Business News.

Querétaro strives to meet demand

Data centers have become critical for Mexico’s continuing technological and economic development and demand for data processing and storage is on the rise.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse have prompted the rapid construction of these centers.

Computer servers — The number of data centers in Mexico is likely to surge over the next five years. (Taylor Vick/Unsplash)

A joint study published last April by the Mexican Association of Data Centers (MEXDC) and the International Data Corporation projects that, by 2029, the number of data centers in Mexico will increase significantly.

Del Prete expects that several of these new centers will be built in Querétaro, which has seen an accumulated investment of more than US $2 billion, according to Mexico Business News.

“We expect to have some good news at the beginning of [December] and early in the New Year as well,” he said.

The state is already preparing to meet the growing demand, developing new policies and state universities are adjusting their degree programs to prepare a professional labor pool.

The Polytechnic University of Querétaro (UPQ) will soon be offering a degree in data engineering, Del Prete said, as part of a collaboration agreement signed by the Development Ministry, UPQ and MEXCD.

With reports from El Economista and Mexico Business News