With natural advantages and high-impact projects underway, the country faces the challenge of attracting major investments, strengthening its federal development, and competing in a new digital and regional environment.
Artificial intelligence has ceased to be a promise and has become a concrete demand for energy, cables, and servers. Argentina possesses geographic and energy advantages that could make it a strategic node for digital infrastructure, although its starting point is limited: 13 operational data centers and a total installed capacity of 32 megawatts, concentrated mainly in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. Faced with this scenario, industry leaders warn that the scale jump is achievable, but not guaranteed.
There is a misconception about where technology happens. People speak of “the cloud” as if data floated in an intangible space, but behind every AI processing operation are server racks, fiber optic cables, and electricity consumption measured in megawatts.
“The cloud is not in the sky, it’s on the ground, and AI needs hardware. Lots of hardware,” commented Horacio Martínez, CEO of Grupo Datco and vice president of the Argentine Internet Chamber. The phrase captures a reality that media debates about artificial intelligence often overlook: before discussing applications, we need to talk about infrastructure.
This infrastructure faces accelerated demand. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Worship of the Nation, AI-related products—semiconductors, servers, and telecommunications equipment—represented 42% of total global merchandise trade growth during the first half of 2025, although they constitute less than 10% of total global goods. AI is now the main driver of international economic exchange.
The diagnosis: lagging behind neighboring countries
Cabase presented a survey of data center infrastructure in the country at its Internet Day 2026. The results show an existing industry, but insufficient to meet artificial intelligence demands: the 13 data centers and 32 megawatts of installed capacity contrast sharply with international trends, where major technology operators are advancing toward 1,000 to 2,000 megawatt campuses.
Geographic concentration is another obstacle: 71% of capacity is in Buenos Aires City and 29% in the province, while the rest of the country is practically excluded.
“The contrast with hyperscaler and data center development in Santiago, Chile or São Paulo remains enormous, but for the first time in a long time we have tools to close that gap. This chasm also reflects years of lack of predictability and sustained sector policies,” warned Ariel Graizer, president of Cabase.
Graizer emphasized: “The quantitative leap Argentina needs in digital infrastructure won’t happen by magic and can’t be limited to the AMBA. Development must be federal.”
Brazil and Chile have had more than a decade’s head start in attracting investments from major cloud providers—known as hyperscalers. Microsoft committed $2.7 billion in Brazil to expand its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Google is building a data center in Canelones, Uruguay, with an investment of $850 million. Amazon Web Services continues to expand its presence in Mexico and Chile. Argentina, until recently, was not on that list.
Argentina’s competitive advantage
The most compelling argument in favor of Argentina is not economic or political: it’s geographic. The cold climate of Patagonia becomes a strategic asset in the data center era.
Cooling is the primary operating expense, as these facilities constantly generate heat and require efficient systems to dissipate it. In Nordic countries, major operators have been reducing costs for years using free cooling techniques, leveraging outside air instead of artificial systems.
“The real opportunity lies outside urban centers, specifically south of the 45th parallel. In these southern zones, extreme weather becomes a financial asset,” explained Martínez.
Add to this the availability of renewable energy. Patagonia has wind and hydroelectric resources that offer cheap electricity and, in a context where environmental sustainability weighs increasingly on major technology companies’ investment decisions, also clean energy. Argentina and Chile, connected by a fiber optic network that crosses the Andes at various latitude points, could develop a regional digital hub instead of competing with each other.
Stargate: the largest digital infrastructure project
In October 2025, OpenAI—the company behind ChatGPT—and Sur Energy, a company created by Argentine investors in the United States, announced the construction of a mega data center in Patagonia under the name Stargate Argentina. The estimated investment reaches $25 billion, making it the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history. At full scale, the node would have 500 megawatts of capacity, more than triple the current regional demand.
“This milestone goes beyond infrastructure. It’s about putting artificial intelligence in the hands of people throughout Argentina,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, at the announcement. The project will be registered under the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), and its first phase is estimated at between $7 to $10 billion. OpenAI will act as the purchaser of the computing power the facility generates.
Emiliano Kargieman, cofounder of Sur Energy, expressed it as a historic opportunity: “This alliance makes Argentina a relevant player in the new global digital and energy map.”
The real cost of implementing AI: integration and scalability
Beyond physical infrastructure, Argentine companies face challenges related to the real cost of implementing artificial intelligence. According to technology company N5, AI implementation expenses have increased 50% in recent years, driven by integration with existing systems.
“The most common mistake is focusing only on initial cost and not on total cost of ownership (TCO). If not calculated correctly, technology stops being an advantage and becomes an operational burden,” warned Julián Colombo, CEO of N5. The problem deepens when AI is incorporated without being integrated into the core business processes: “When AI is a disconnected layer, TCO skyrockets; when it’s integrated, it’s optimized.”
“If not calculated correctly, technology stops being an advantage and becomes an operational burden.” — Colombo
The challenge is reflected in a statistic from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): 95% of generative AI solution pilots fail. The difference between successful and failed projects doesn’t lie in technological sophistication, but in economic planning and integration with pre-existing infrastructure. “Replacing everything is usually more expensive than doing it intelligently,” Colombo concluded.
Conditions necessary to capitalize on the opportunity
The consensus among experts is that Argentina has the ingredients but not yet the complete recipe. To attract investments at the scale that AI demands, conditions beyond favorable geography are needed.
Horacio Martínez enumerated the factors that major investors evaluate before deciding where to install infrastructure: robust fiber optic access, a reliable and scalable energy matrix, and what he called “social license,” which includes both support from local communities and political and legal stability. “Promotion regimes, tax benefits and stability, and above all, legal certainty, are the minimum requirements for any investment that is amortized over decades,” he emphasized.
que pena. seria bom usar como clarin para dar mais autoridade, mas tudo bem. Vou ver se acho o pdf da edição, foi no domingo dia 10 ou dia 3 de maio?
Qué pena. Hubiera estado bueno usarlo como Clarín para darle más autoridad, pero está bien. Voy a ver si encuentro el PDF de la edición. ¿Fue el domingo 10 o el 3 de mayo?
sim, todos os conteúdos que fez para o blog e que ainda não foi para as redes já esta no meu radar. Mas como essas duas ultimas semanas todos os posts foram basicamente de blog, vou esperar um pouco para retomar. isso porque nas métricas, essas duas semans foram bem baixas de engajamento e seguidores. quero ver se recuperamos isso
Sí, todos los contenidos que hiciste para el blog y que todavía no fueron a redes ya están en mi radar. Pero como en estas últimas dos semanas todos los posts fueron básicamente del blog, voy a esperar un poco antes de retomarlos. Esto porque, según las métricas, estas dos semanas tuvieron un engagement y crecimiento de seguidores bastante bajos. Quiero ver si logramos recuperarlo.
como eu escrevo em castellano neutro sem regionalismo: Continue a leitura em:
Continue leyendo en:
e em ingles?
Continue reading at: Argentina y la carrera por la inteligencia artificial: ventajas geográficas, energía limpia y el desafío de la infraestructura – Infobae
