Agriculture

From Grain Barn to Mexico's Silicon Valley: Farmers in Querétaro Clash with Datacenters

NRC·23 September · 20:00·8 hours ago

Farmers in the Mexican state of Querétaro are struggling with severe drought and crop failures, while the region simultaneously attracts massive investment from American tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle. Over 70 percent of Mexico’s operational datacenters are located in Querétaro, earning it the nickname “Mexico’s Silicon Valley.” Adriana Rivera, chair of the Mexican Datacenter Association (MEXDC), defends the industry by claiming water usage is minimal due to closed-loop cooling systems, dismissing local concerns as unfounded. Despite this, farmers report that prolonged dryness has destroyed their harvests, forcing them to sell livestock. The government and industry leaders highlight the economic benefits, noting that datacenter-related exports to the US reached nearly $83 billion in the first half of the year, contributing to a record total export value of $390 billion for Mexico.

Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's

AgricultureClimateGeneral