Trinidad and Tobago signs data center agreements with US companies

Trinidad and Tobago has signed memorandums of understanding with U.S. companies to develop large-scale data centers, marking the first such agreements with a Caribbean country.Source: AP

The agreements

The deals include a 300-megawatt (300 million watts) data center planned with Ernst & Young LLP, and a 150-megawatt AI infrastructure facility with Hummingbird AI Holdings. A third agreement with Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Corporation involves recommissioning a local iron and steel plant. Officials say the three initiatives, combined, are expected to generate over 5,000 jobs.Source: AP

Concerns over resources

Critics have raised questions about the environmental impact. Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, a social activist, said the government is "trying to present something which looks like development, but which is not development."Source: AP The twin-island nation already struggles with chronic water shortages and intermittent supply. Data centers can be water-intensive, and a recent United Nations University report suggests they could account for nearly 3% of global electricity use by 2030. The country's electricity supply, while improved, still experiences outages.Source: AP

Next steps

The government stated that the U.S. government played a role in facilitating the agreements. The memorandums were signed on Friday, according to the office of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.Source: AP