• The new infrastructure investment is specifically intended for the construction of three data centers, which will be located in the province of Santiago.

The US tech giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced this Wednesday a US$4 billion investment over 15 years in Chile, considered the largest venture in the company’s history in the country. The announcement was made at an event organized by the company, in which AWS executives participated alongside authorities including Treasury Minister Mario Marcel and InvestChile Director, Karla Flores.

The outlay will be used to launch an infrastructure region to provide cloud services, not only to the domestic market but to all of Latin America. “The AWS South America (Chile) Region will help serve the fast-growing demand for cloud services across Latin America and in Chile with secure, reliable and efficient cloud infrastructure,” said Prasad Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Infrastructure Services at AWS.

Juan Pablo Estévez, Director of AWS for the Southern Cone, told Diario Financiero that the new infrastructure in Santiago will be fully operational in the second half of next year. With its three availability zones, the region will join the 114 availability zones and 36 regions the US firm already has around the world.

The project announced for Chile is the third in Latin America. AWS already has projects in Brazil, and announced another in Mexico earlier this year.

Chile’s position

Government authorities attending the event highlighted the market’s position relative to the region and the factors that make it attractive for attracting more investment. “Being the third country to have this infrastructure, after Brazil and Mexico, which are two giant markets, says a lot about Chile,” Flores commented.

Minutes later, Marcel said: “This investment is much more than a number. It represents confidence in our capabilities, institutions, connectivity and talent.”

The minister ran through recent announcements by companies such as Total Energies, BHP and Freeport-McMoRan. “If we add up these four announcements, we are talking about nearly US$40 billion, which is almost the entire cadaster for 2025-2028 with just four foreign companies,” he stated. He then added, “In order to grow, Chile needs investment, and this one (from AWS) allows us to position ourselves in the region’s technology industry.”

“The expansion of AWS infrastructure in Chile is a clear example of the country’s commitment to advanced technology, innovation and the work we have done to create an environment where technology companies can thrive, with the National Data Center Plan leading the way,” said Science Minister Aisén Etcheverry in a statement.