Latam data center firm Scala has secured a new loan to fund its build-out in Brazil.

Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) has approved financing of R$200 million ($37.2m) for Scala Data Centers to invest in the acquisition and installation of equipment and materials for the infrastructure of its data centers.

The funds will be made available through the BNDES Machinery and Services program, which allows the purchase of machinery, industrial systems, components, IT and automation goods, as well as domestic products and services. Imported equipment with no similar products produced in the country is also included.

This is Scala's second operation loan from BNDES. The company previously received R$180 million ($31.3m) from the bank.

The financing approved by the BNDES is part of the federal government's industrial policy targeting the digital transformation of industry, with the aim of increasing productivity to advance the digital economy. According to the bank's president, Aloizio Mercadante, digitalization is already a reality on a global scale and is expanding rapidly.

For Scala Data Centers' financial director, Clayton Malheiros, the financing approved by the BNDES will strengthen the company's investment capacity and help consolidate Brazil as a strategic data center hub in Latin America. According to him, the company is committed to expanding its technological infrastructure to international standards, with a focus on innovation and sustainability.

Scala was founded back in 2020 by global asset manager DigitalBridge, following the acquisition of several data centers from Brazilian IT firm UOL Diveo. The operator that focuses explicitly on the LATAM market has invested more than $1.6 billion in hyperscale data centers across Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia.

The company currently has more than 300MW of data center capacity installed and under development, and is expected to reach 500MW over the next five years.

Last year, the company announced plans for a huge data center in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. If fully realized, the data center could cost up to R$300bn (US$50bn) and grow to 4.75GW; however, at present, Scala intends to construct a 54MW data center for an investment of R$3bn (US$500m).