Alberto Caraballo
Querétaro has quickly become a focal point for tech innovation in Mexico, drawing significant attention from industry giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. According to El País[1], Amazon’s recent $5,000 million commitment is one of the state’s most notable capital infusions to date, while TechCrunch[2] reports that AWS plans to inject an additional $5,000 million into Mexico’s cloud infrastructure. In parallel, Google and Microsoft have chosen Querétaro as the site for new hyperscale facilities—solidifying the region’s reputation as a burgeoning technology hub.
Yet the real question is whether Querétaro can evolve into Latin America’s next data center epicenter—or if today’s enthusiasm will fizzle in the face of operational and sustainability challenges. Below, we explore the region’s strategic strengths, its transformative potential, and key reasons it’s reshaping the digital industry.
Querétaro’s Strategic Advantage
One factor fueling Querétaro’s rise is its favorable location in central Mexico, which offers easy access to major industrial corridors and urban centers. This geographic advantage provides lower latency for data traffic and more efficient network routing—important considerations for businesses aiming to deliver real-time services across the country. Reports from DatacenterDynamics[3] suggest that, with continued investment in local network capacity, Querétaro could soon rival Mexico City as a primary node for national connectivity.
In tandem with robust connectivity, energy availability is also on the upswing—at least according to official sources. As noted by OEM[4], the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) is planning to boost power supply by roughly 50% in Querétaro, aiming to support large-scale data center operations. However, some industry experts question whether this increase will be sufficient to meet long-term demands, highlighting the region’s ongoing challenge to ensure stable and abundant energy resources. Meanwhile, discussions around water resources—particularly in coverage by The Guardian[5]—have prompted local authorities and private stakeholders to collaborate on measures that mitigate environmental impact, including more efficient cooling systems and better resource management practices.
How Querétaro Became a Key Tech Catalyst?
- Significant Cloud Investments
Querétaro has attracted over $10 billion in total commitments from Amazon alone, alongside additional high-value expansions from Google and Microsoft. These large-scale projects not only bring top-tier infrastructure closer to Mexican businesses but also signal long-term faith in the region’s potential. - The Missing Piece
While carrier-neutral, meet-me room environments are increasingly vital to modern data exchange, Querétaro’s existing data center landscape has yet to fully embrace this model. This gap highlights a significant opportunity for new entrants—such as MDC—to introduce true carrier neutrality, reduce latency, and foster healthy competition across networks. - Proximity to Core Markets
Situated near Mexico City and other major commercial hubs, Querétaro makes an ideal location for data centers serving regional traffic. Enterprises benefit from reduced latency and simplified logistics, bolstering their ability to compete in today’s real-time digital economy. - Accelerated Technological Development
Ready access to advanced cloud and colocation services spurs growth in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, software-as-a-service, and high-performance computing. This availability of world-class technology is fueling innovation across industries, embedding Querétaro more deeply into Latin America’s digital future.
A Look Ahead
Querétaro’s ascent as a data center hub is underscored by significant investments and ambitious infrastructure plans, yet the journey ahead is not without obstacles. Power and resource constraints will demand ongoing collaboration between public agencies like the CFE and private operators to ensure there’s enough energy to meet hyperscale and colocation demands. True carrier-neutral connectivity, still largely absent in the region, could be the missing piece that unlocks more efficient data exchange, reduces latency, and promotes healthy competition.
Equally pressing are sustainability concerns around water usage and environmental impact, which will require innovative cooling technologies and responsible resource management. In this evolving landscape, new players and initiatives—such as MDC’s carrier-neutral meet-me room model—have the potential to address these gaps and establish Querétaro as a truly future-proof data center destination. By bridging cross-border networks and providing resilient connectivity solutions, these emerging efforts could determine whether Querétaro matures into a long-term anchor of Latin America’s digital transformation—or remains a promising but under-realized market.
[1] El País: Amazon da el banderazo de salida de una inversión de 5000 millones de dólares en Querétaro
[2] TechCrunch: AWS pledges to spend $5B in Mexico, launches new Mexico server region
[3] DatacenterDynamics: ¿Cuánta conexión más necesitamos para tener el doble de data centers en Querétaro?
[4] OEM: Elevará la CFE 50% abasto de electricidad en Querétaro
[5] The Guardian: ‘Thirsty’ data centers spring up in water-poor Mexican city
