Latin America is gaining prominence, while companies face a dual challenge: deploying core infrastructure and maintaining regulatory compliance across stringent frameworks.
In 2026, the data center industry is advancing at an unprecedented pace, driven by the accelerated expansion of artificial intelligence and the strategic reallocation of digital capital to regions such as Latin America. On the regulatory front, tax incentives for clean energy and modernization of submarine fiber routes further solidify the region’s standing as a preferred hub for new AI-focused data centers.
At Aerodoc, we support data center operators and suppliers in their international deployments of physical infrastructure—including servers, switches, routers, access points, firewalls, cabling, and related equipment—when customers lack a legal entity in the destination country or seek to avoid regulatory friction.
As a global partner specialized in data center logistics and trade compliance, with extensive experience managing the distribution of data center equipment, cross-border shipments, and IOR/EOR services, we share the key trends shaping international technology deployments and set to take center stage this year at Metro Connect USA, the largest international event in the sector, bringing together the industry’s leading operators and technology suppliers.
The Rise of AI-Ready Facilities and AI Cities
In 2026, the focus has shifted from building a standalone data center to developing full AI ecosystems. These initiatives bring together industrial land, high-capacity fiber, dedicated power substations, and coordinated urban planning that links energy, network access, and municipal services to support large-scale compute workloads.
Brazil is leading this model with projects such as Rio AI City, located in Rio’s Olympic Park, which plans an initial power capacity of 1.5 GW—with potential expansion to 3.2 GW—for AI and cloud workloads, relying exclusively on renewable energy and waterless cooling systems. In parallel, Scala AI City is under development in Eldorado do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul), a data center city backed by Scala and the local government, with an initial investment of approximately R$3 billion and a medium-term expansion target of 4.75 GW. However, political cycles, shifts in tariff structures, and transitions within regulatory authorities—such as ANATEL in Brazil—impact capital allocation decisions and risk assessments across these projects.
In Chile, Santiago is surging as a strong new hub for AI-ready campuses, supported by regulatory maturity, proximity to maritime routes, and the availability of clean energy supply. This positioning is further supported by global reports that identify the region as one of the fastest-growing data center markets for the 2026–2030 period. Within this context, demand for AI hardware across data center environments is expected to increase.
Investment Surge and the Consolidation of New Hubs
The South American AI data center market is projected to reach USD 1.24 billion in 2026, up from USD 1.06 billion in 2025. Forecasts indicate that the market could grow to USD 2.72 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.98% over the 2026–2031 period. Within this outlook, industry operators estimate that the region could add more than 1,831 MW of additional data center power capacity between 2025 and 2030, with Brazil and Mexico accounting for over 60% of that expansion and Argentina gaining relevance.
In parallel, several industry players and Capacity Latin America analysts suggest that, if current momentum continues, regional investment in digital infrastructure could approach or exceed USD 100 billion by 2030, driven by AI-ready campuses, fiber networks, subsea systems, and associated power assets. Within this framework, cities such as São Paulo, Santiago, Querétaro, Bogotá, and select areas of Uruguay are taking shape as key hubs.
According to Capacity, challenges remain tied to the global component shortage, import bottlenecks, and regional logistics constraints, factors that are pushing the industry toward a more regionally distributed manufacturing model.
Collaboration and Co-Investment
Pressure to deliver AI-ready capacity on schedule and at sustainable cost levels is pushing market players beyond the traditional standalone operator model. In 2026, as reflected in the Capacity LATAM agenda, joint ventures and co-investment structures are increasingly common among data center operators, dark fiber providers, and hyperscalers, as they share construction exposure, regulatory risk, and—above all—power supply risk.
A clear example is SierraIG, the joint venture between SummitIG and Neutral Networks in Mexico, which is developing an underground dark fiber platform of up to 750 km, backed by an investment of approximately USD 50 million. The project is explicitly designed to link data centers in Querétaro and other AI hubs with public cloud platforms and cloud service providers (CSPs).
Green Compute Transformation in LATAM
Latin America benefits from abundant resources and sustained investment in clean energy—including solar, wind, and hydropower—which underpin a viable model of ‘green compute’, understood as efficient, low-impact computing. A report from the International Energy Agency indicates that clean energy investment in the region reached approximately USD 70 billion in 2025, with Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica leading regional growth in renewable generation. This suggests that the underlying input—low-carbon electricity—is available, expanding, and positioning regional countries as strategic locations for global-scale green data centers.
According to regional reports, more than 170 power purchase agreements (PPAs) are already in place for renewable projects, representing over 22 GW of committed capacity. This reflects how operators are locking in a clean power supply for their infrastructure portfolios.
The Influence of Asian Investment
Asian investment is redrawing LATAM’s digital geography in 2026. China’s so-called Digital Silk Road includes, among other assets, funding for onshore data centers, subsea cable landing stations, and national backbone networks, with the objective of securing a strategic footprint across the Pacific–Atlantic macro-region.
These capital flows particularly favor hubs such as São Paulo, Santiago, and Bogotá, where partnerships between local operators and Chinese and Taiwanese groups are already taking shape across telecommunications towers and edge data centers. At the same time, China’s presence heightens competition for protected power capacity and physically diversified fiber rings, prompting regional governments to revisit national connectivity plans and accelerate reforms in distributed generation and renewable energy tenders.
Aerodoc, Your Logistics Partner in 2026
- Aerodoc supports data center infrastructure deployments in countries where customers lack a legal entity, serving as Importer of Record (IOR) to import and operate in alignment with local regulations.
- The service addresses customs-critical areas, including documentation, licenses and permits, duties, and legal obligations tied to technology imports.
- It also reduces friction related to tariff classification and regulatory controls (HS/tariff items), limiting the risk of delays, inspections, or shipment rejections due to classification errors or incomplete paperwork.
- Through its DDP with IOR service, Aerodoc provides a fully integrated service that includes duties, VAT and local taxes, and freight, with Aerodoc serving as the importer for delivery and deployment at the end customer’s facilities.
- It provides last-mile execution and local coordination, which are particularly relevant for on-site deliveries—including campuses, offices, and technical facilities—where domestic logistics often represent the highest exposure to operational risk.
- Pre-compliance and pre-shipment inspection services include early review of regulatory requirements and physical verification—such as labeling, serial numbers, and country of origin—to reduce uncertainty at customs.
- Aerodoc also supports data center operating cycles, including POC and testing phases, capital goods imports, and RMA and reverse logistics flows for equipment replacement and returns.
Contact our team of experts to learn more about our services.
Q&A
- What power and connectivity requirements define an AI-ready data center in 2026? AI-ready sites require scalable, high-density power and resilient high-capacity fiber with redundant routes. Low latency and diversified connectivity are essential to support large AI workloads.
- How do regulatory frameworks and compliance obligations affect data center expansion in 2026? Regulatory compliance can materially impact cost, timelines, and import feasibility. Strong governance and documentation reduce exposure to changing requirements.
- Which partnership and financing models are accelerating deployment in the data center industry in 2026? The Data Center Industry in 2026 is increasingly using joint ventures and co-investment to share construction and power-supply risk. This accelerates the delivery of AI-ready capacity and improves capital efficiency.
- What logistics strategies reduce delays when importing critical data center hardware in 2026? Cross-border logistics planning—customs readiness, accurate classification, and compliant documentation—reduces delays. Regional sourcing and distributed fulfillment also mitigate shortages and bottlenecks.
