Data centers today are considered the backbone of our digital life and, consequently, of thousands of services, companies, public and private organizations. It seems incredible that 70 years have already passed since its strategic use was envisioned in the US, when the office in charge of the Census used Univac, a computer the size of a room, which required a large technical team to process the information collected between the citizenship. Thus, gradually, they went from being value-added equipment for an institution, to becoming a key to the economic development of countries.
But their value is not only given in bits and bytes, but also in job creation and economic growth. In recent years, countries like ours have established policies to boost their development, capitalizing not only through first-rate infrastructure, but also making Chile a true digital hub, a position that is disputed year after year -in increasingly close way- with Colombia.
It is that its relevance is such that the presence of these data centers allows companies to operate with greater efficiency and competitiveness in the global market. In this sense, several foreign companies have opted for Chile as an active data center market, including América Móvil and Liberty Latin America. In fact, Liray, its largest commitment in national territory, has just opened a new building with 3,000 m2 of clean room, consolidating itself as one of the main players in the segment, with an investment to date of US$320 million.
With a world-class design, Liray has availability certifications such as Tier IV and sustainability with “LEED BD+C Data Center”, thanks to this its performance is linked to efficiency and reduction of carbon footprint, guaranteeing a better use of energy resources; tangible proof that business can be done considering variables as relevant as the environment.
Given the edge of digitization, in recent years we have seen a constant growth in information storage and processing capacities. In fact, an IDC report estimates that total data center meters in Chile will have increased by 71.31% compared to 2018, going from 36,200 m2 in 2018 to a projection of 50,763 m2 by 2023.
* 100012*To get a more tangible idea of its impact, McKinsey & Company estimates that data centers contribute 0.3% of global GDP and employ more than two million of people around the world.
Without a doubt, that our country offers a good combination of reliable infrastructure, talent development, commitment to transparent regulations and a history of favorable conditions to attract foreign investment, it has allowed consistent growth in infrastructure, key in an increasingly interconnected country that seeks to ensure that the benefits of the digital age permeate all people.
