Data center, reportedly for ByteDance, is first capacity export project in broader hub envisioned for country's northeast.
The first phase of a massive data center project in Ceara, a northeastern province in Brazil, has kicked off with an R$50 billion ($10 billion) price tag, carrying with it both innovation and intrigue.
Omnia, part of the Patria investment platform, and power supplier Casa dos Ventos are partnering on the "Pecem" project buildout with a global mega-technology company, reported in local media as ByteDance. The location benefits from excess renewable energy capacity and proximity to intercontinental cables as well as a local port, reflecting its ambition.
“This is the country’s first large-scale project aimed at exporting data processing capacity. It will open the door for data-export operations driven by the powershoring trend, or the relocation of production chains to places with clean energy generation,” said Rodrigo Abreu, Omnia’s CEO and Pátria partner.
The tech client will provide more than 80 percent of the funding for the project. Casa dos Ventos will build the energy farms required to power its initial 300 megawatts, while Omnia will build the physical infrastructure and operate the facilities—including the two buildings, cooling systems enabled by closed-loop water-reuse design, power connections, batteries, and security—with a contribution of approximately $2 billion in financing.
OQ View: Within the global AI-driven data center rush, emerging markets continue to eye compute power as an intriguing export opportunity, given growing demand, the relative cost of financing and building local infrastructure, the opportunity to own and operate the stack (as Omnia is doing here) as well as readymade clean resources required for power.
Partners in Pecem say the subsequent Pecem phases will more than quadruple Phase 1 capacity, including a second phase that will use nearly twice the wattage. Once realized this will mark a new constellation for the sector in South America.
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