Data centers in Chile project US$1.7 billion in investment by 2030

Seven new data centers are advancing through the Environmental Assessment System, with projects at various stages of analysis.

The data center market in the Santiago Metropolitan Region has seen explosive growth in recent years, a boom reflected in a recent study by consulting firm GPS Property. According to the report, which appeared in Chilean business publication Diario Financiero, there has been sustained growth in the installed capacity of data centers over the last 10 years.

In 2014, these facilities did not exceed 24 megawatts (MW), but as of the present date the capacity of data centers in the Santiago Metropolitan Region has reached 173 MW, a 620% increase over the last decade.

Another industry indicator that has seen significant increases is the land area used by these facilities, which in the last 10 years has grown from 55,000 m2 to 202,000 m2 distributed across 43 data centers, amounting to an increase of 267% between 2014 and 2024.

According to GPS Property, this tremendous growth of data centers is primarily due to the increasing demand for digital and energy infrastructure, driven by the country’s rapid digitalization, which has led the industry to invest around US$1.7 billion in this type of facilities.

«Additionally, the rise of artificial intelligence has intensified the need for robust technological infrastructure. In this context, the data center sector has been able to adapt to the demands of storage, connectivity, and digital services, playing a key role in technological development and consolidating Chile’s position as a major digital hub in the region,» emphasized Lorena Tapia, Executive Director of GPS Property.

The future of data centers in Chile

The outlook for the remainder of this decade remains promising. According to GPS, the industry is expected to reach a total of 50 data centers in the Santiago Metropolitan Region in the coming years, doubling the built area to 489,126 m2, an increase of over 100% compared to 2024.

This expansion will also involve an increase of 164.5 MW in installed capacity to meet growing demand, with a total investment estimated at US$1.7 billion. In this context, seven new data centers have already entered the Environmental Assessment System, with projects at various stages, from qualification to approval.

These projects include: two Amazon facilities, two Scala facilities, one Microsoft facility, one Equinix facility, and one Cirion facility. It’s worth noting that this market is concentrated among five major companies: Google, ODATA, Sonda, EdgeConneX, and Claro, which together offer nearly 53% of the installed capacity in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.

Did you know that Chile has a National Data Center Policy? Find out more here.