US company RT-One has confirmed the purchase of a plot of land in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with plans to install a 400MW data center dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) processing.

First reported by BNamericas, the company said the project has the potential to become the largest data center dedicated to AI in Latin America. The site acquired is located just outside Uberlândia on the BR-497 highway, towards Prata, in the western region of the municipality.

The project involves an estimated investment of more than R$6 billion (US$1.1bn) and will be developed on a site totaling more than one million square meters (10.7m sq ft).

In the initial stage, the data center will have an installed capacity of 100MW, which can be expanded to up to 400MW. According to the company, the infrastructure will be developed to international energy efficiency standards, using only renewable sources and advanced cooling systems.

The ceremony to present the project was attended by representatives from the public and private sectors, including municipal authorities from Uberlândia and executives from RT-One.

During the event, RT-One global CEO Fernando Palamone stressed the strategic importance of the AI infrastructure, emphasizing that robust, secure, and sovereign data centers are fundamental for the advancement of the digital age. According to him, the implementation of this structure in Brazil represents an opportunity for the country to position itself competitively on the global stage, promoting the generation of skilled jobs and the development of talent focused on digital transformation.

A number of RT-One's commercial and technological partners were also present, including Hitachi, WEG, Siemens, Vertiv, Schneider Electric, Engemon Construtora, Multiway Infra, and Munters, as well as other companies involved in the design and future execution of the project.

Palamone said that the company aims to achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rate of 1.2 or even 1.1 in its projects, ranking among the lowest rates in the sector.

In addition to Uberlândia, RT-One is developing a similar project, also with up to 400MW in capacity and capex of R$6 billion, in Maringá, Paraná state. The first phase of that project is reportedly due to go live next year.