04 de January de 2024

Major figures in Digital Infrastructure gathered at a significant Data Center Meeting

More than 50 industry attendees, alongside prominent figures from the telecommunications, connectivity, engineering, and global Data Center development sectors, gathered at an event on Wednesday, December 13, at the main headquarters of Inacap.

• Chile has become a highly attractive country for Data Center investment, boasting extensive connectivity both internally and internationally, with 14 cables connected at 10 border crossings.
• Currently, Chile has 4.5 million fixed internet users and 22.5 million mobile internet users.

More than 50 industry attendees, alongside prominent figures from the telecommunications, connectivity, engineering, and global Data Center development sectors, gathered at an event on Wednesday, December 13, at the main headquarters of Inacap. This event was the seminar "Digital Infrastructure and Data Centers: Opportunities for Chile," organized by Desarrollo País S.A., the Infrastructure Policy Council (CPI), and the Chilean Association of Information Technology
Companies (ACTI).

The kick-off for this event was provided by the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya, who spoke about the role of the State in the development of the data center industry. In this context, the authority stated, "Chile leads with cutting-edge infrastructure: 340 communes will have fiber optics in their communal capital next year, surpassing Colombia and Brazil. Our connectivity stands out in Latin America, competing with the Netherlands and Singapore in download speeds, demonstrating that we are leaders in global digital transformation. In this sense, Desarrollo País is a valuable instrument, leading the creation of a submarine cable to connect Chile with Oceania and, from there, expand our connection to Asian countries".

Carlos Cruz, the Executive Director of CPI, valued the meeting and emphasized that "Chile has a tremendous opportunity to become a center for offering very attractive services and to be a world hub for information storage. This is because the country is stable; we have an institutional framework, and that must be valued." He added, "We have been building a certain capacity to offer digital infrastructure that allows us to be at the center. Today, we have the institutional and energy conditions necessary to move in this direction. We have made significant progress in connecting with the world, which is a fundamental condition to become an important offer for this to happen."

The event served as an introduction to the significant technical topics, project-level challenges, and debates in the digital ecosystem, bringing together experts in technology, project management, and leaders in this area, sharing their experiences to understand the opportunities of this fast-paced and challenging industry.

“As Desarrollo País, we are not only mandated to execute infrastructure projects that improve the quality of life for people, but we also believe it is essential for everyone to understand the scope and benefits of the works we promote. Therefore, co-organizing this event with CPI and ACTI seemed to us a tremendous opportunity to discuss the advantages and interesting experiences offered by the telecommunications sector and, in particular, the opportunities in the data center industry," said Patricio Rey, CEO of Desarrollo País.

Meanwhile, Inacap's rector, Lucas Palacios, emphasized the importance of having instances like these at the academic level: "At INACAP, we seek to build a country for everyone, where digital infrastructure, especially data centers, becomes the key to generating opportunities and social mobility in every corner of Chile. We are proud to be part of this conversation between the public sector, private sector, and academia to build a happier, more cohesive, and productive country," he said.

It is worth noting that earlier this year, the OECD highlighted the Chilean telecommunications sector among the top 10 countries with the highest percentage of fiber optic subscriptions in relation to the total number of fixed internet contracts, indicating that they reach 66% of the total. Leading global technology companies have already established our country as a hub for the development of their infrastructure and storage networks, due to various conditions that make us an attractive place to promote the development of a robust industry.

Therefore, to provide a realistic view of the possibilities offered by the data center infrastructure sector, during Wednesday's session, representatives of major companies such as Google, Amazon, and Sonda also attended, presenting their success stories and experiences in the country.

Francisco Guzmán, President of ACTI, also referred to the role of collaboration and the "virtuous helix" that  nvolves the private sector, public sector, academia, and even civil society. "The role of the Academy is fundamental, and it will allow us to compete worldwide. The 'virtuous helix' is working, and public policies must be clear and lead us to a scenario that allows us to invest in infrastructure. As ACTI A.G, we want to be the axis for this to work," he explained. He added that "there are many international actors in Chile, and there is a tremendous scenario for investment.
We are using renewable energies to produce data. Data is the oil of the future, and we will continue to generate more, so the invitation is to continue allocating resources in this area," he concluded.