Queretaro, Qro. The installation of the data center microsoft advances in the entity, due to the fact that the construction of the technological complex is underway, but the community project that the firm manages hand in hand with UN-Habitat.
The president of the IT Vortex, Information Technology Cluster of Querétaro, Jorge Buitrón Arriola, explained that the construction takes approximately five months, around the Querétaro International Airport (AIQ), between Colón and El Marqués.
“The construction is already operating (…) they call it intelligent territory (…) The construction of the data center is as if it were a car plant, but it has to do with the servers, with energy, very sophisticated, it is under construction”, exposed.
In parallel, he stressed, the human capital requirements that this data center will have are also being studied, including cybersecurity specialists.
Similarly, the community impact project that Microsoft works with is under development. UN-Habitatcalled Planning for a Better Quality of Life in Data Center Communities.
According to the UN, the objective is to promote recommendations and create a multisectoral action plan, so that the communities near where the company’s data centers are built advance towards sustainability, in an inclusive and resilient manner in the future. framework of the emerging industrial development of the region.
the president of IT Vortex He explained that the cluster also collaborates in this initiative, with the aim of impacting the communities that are 20 kilometers around the data center installation.
“(They participate) in the planning of the impact and the actions that are going to be carried out, from the UN and Microsoft, for the benefit of these communities (…) For example, training, that they have a better quality of life, in terms of bicycle lanes, in terms of universities. We did many exercises, what’s more, we even went to the communities, to find out what hurts the people who are there and how they would see the arrival of a data center, ”he explained.
This type of project has already been implemented in two locations in Sweden (Gävle and Sandviken); For the Mexican case, UN-Habitat adapted it to the local context, as well as to the conditions derived from the pandemic, through exercises carried out virtually.
According to UN-Habitat, in the first phase an investigation and analysis of the territory was carried out based on geostatistical information.
Likewise, preliminary interviews were held with strategic actors from various sectors; The results have made it possible to identify the challenges and opportunities in the area of the technological-industrial corridor of Querétaro, regarding different topics such as the economy, education, housing and the environment.
Therefore, we work with local actors to design possible futures that allow us to systematically address the needs of the communities and the territory; Through collective work, the necessary actions are established to achieve the ideal scenario, which will be reflected in the recommendations and in an action plan.