CASE STUDY lowering operating costs and the development’ s carbon footprint.
“ The start of construction represents a historic step for TERRANOVA and for digital infrastructure in Latin America,” said Mauricio Giusti, Managing Director, Actis and interim CEO, TERRANOVA.
“ We are building a data centre complex designed specifically for the AI era, providing maximum processing capacity for global hyperscalers and using innovative sustainability technologies. This development places Campinas and the state of São Paulo on the global data centre map and demonstrates that building sustainably can reduce operational costs while supporting the environment.”
The start of construction represents a historic step for TERRANOVA and for digital infrastructure in Latin America.
Campus Campinas will occupy a site covering approximately 944,000 sqm, with around 115,000 sqm allocated to buildings. Approximately 285,000 sqm will be preserved as green areas or donated to the municipality.
The project will also deliver public infrastructure, including roads plus water and sewage treatment stations. TERRANOVA said these measures would balance technological development with environmental preservation and provide benefits for the community.
The project comes as the global AI boom reshapes data centre design and intensifies competition for electricity, land and specialist infrastructure. With expansion potential of up to 1 GW, TERRANOVA is positioning the campus as a new strategic hub capable of supporting the power-intensive systems driving the next phase of Digital Transformation across Latin America.
A substation will have an initial capacity of 300 MW and is scheduled to be ready for energisation in December 2027. The energy infrastructure will have expansion potential of up to 1 GW, supporting the campus’ s growth.
The initial phase will provide 216 MW of IT capacity. Land has been reserved for further
Campus Campinas will address these demands through liquid cooling technology operating with a closed water circuit. TERRANOVA said no liquid-cooled data centre was yet operational in Brazil, although several projects were under development. The campus is expected to become the first development in the Campinas region to deploy the technology at scale.
Liquid cooling transfers heat away from highperformance processors more efficiently than conventional air-based systems. According to TERRANOVA, its approach will reduce electricity consumption and virtually eliminate the water used to cool processors. Engineering decisions throughout the campus’ s electrical and mechanical design will also reduce the energy required for each unit of computing capacity,
Campus Campinas at a glance
Campus Campinas will cover approximately 944,000 sq m, including 115,000 sq m of built space. Its first phase will deliver 216 MW of IT capacity, with future expansion potentially lifting this figure to 386 MW. A 300 MW substation is scheduled for energisation in December 2027 and can eventually scale to 1 GW. Initial infrastructure investment will exceed US $ 500 million, with additional phases continuing through 2029. www. intelligentcio. com
INTELLIGENT CIO LATAM
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