Status: Announced/In Development | Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Rio AI City project, spearheaded by Elea Digital S.A., is poised to dramatically redefine the scale of data center infrastructure in Latin America and globally. Announced in April 2025, the campus, planned for the Olympic Park area of Rio de Janeiro, targets an initial IT load capacity of 1.8 GW, with the potential to expand to a colossal 3.2 GW by 2032. This makes it one of the most ambitious data center developments worldwide.
Crucially, the project is intrinsically focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), aiming to serve the hyper-dense, power-hungry compute needs driven by large language models and other AI applications. The strategic importance was underscored by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in August 2025 with technology giants Oracle and NVIDIA to join the initiative as partners, securing key tenets and expertise for high-performance computing design. The technical architecture will feature cutting-edge liquid cooling technology to efficiently manage the extreme heat generated by GPU-intensive workloads, a necessary step for any facility aspiring to be a true AI hub.
The location in Rio is advantageous, leveraging the city's role as a major economic center and a critical cable landing site for international submarine fibre optic cables. Furthermore, the project aligns with the global trend of sustainability, with a firm commitment to operate using 100% certified renewable energy, capitalising on Brazil's clean energy grid.
The development is a direct response to Brazil's rapidly expanding cloud adoption and the enormous infrastructure demands created by the global AI race. With initial operational phases targeted for 2027, Rio AI City is set to transform Rio de Janeiro into a premier Latin American hub for advanced digital services, attracting billions in investment and cementing Brazil's position as a digital powerhouse in the Southern Hemisphere.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Rio AI City (Rio de Janeiro Data Center Campus) |
| Location | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Status | Announced/In Development |
| Commissioning | Phased, with initial capacity operational by 2027 |
| Total IT Load | 1.8 GW |
| Total Capacity | Up to 3.2 GW |
| Tier Level | Hyperscale/AI-ready (Tier III/IV standards targeted) |
| Project Type | Mega-Campus, Cloud & AI Workload Hub |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| City Name | rio de janeiro |
| Population | 6.7 million people |
| Urban Agglomeration | 13-14 million people |
| City GDP | $105 billion (2017) |
| Per Capita Income | $10,968 (2021) |
| City Tier | Tier 1 / Major Global City and Secondary Brazilian Hub (after São Paulo) |
| Key Strengths | Submarine cable landing site, major enterprise hub, strong renewable energy grid, government/Olympic Park land availability. |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer / Operator | Elea Digital S.A. (Part of the Elea Data Centers network) |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Oracle, NVIDIA (Memorandum of Understanding signed in Aug 2025) |
| Construction Contractor | TBD |
| MEP Engineering | TBD |
| Network Connectivity | High-speed fiber, connected to major international submarine cables |
| Power Infrastructure | Fully secured grid power, utilizing high-voltage transmission assets |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Power Capacity | 1.8 GW (Initial IT Load) |
| UPS Redundancy | Expected to be 2N or greater (AI/Hyperscale standards) |
| Cooling System | Advanced liquid cooling technology for high-density AI clusters |
| Connectivity | Carrier-Neutral, optimized for cloud and AI interconnectivity |
| PUE Target | TBD (Designed for maximum energy efficiency) |
| Energy Mix | 100% Certified Renewable Energy (Targeted) |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Announcement | April 2025 (Web Summit Rio) |
| Construction Start | TBD (Accelerated timeline expected due to strategic partnerships) |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Expected 2027 |
| Full Buildout | Projected by 2032 (for 3.2 GW capacity) |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Investment | Multi-billion USD (Not fully disclosed, but immense given the scale) |
| Funding | Elea Digital, backed by multiple investors, and strategic partners |
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