The administration of Claudia Sheinbaum is focused on driving digitalization and technological investment in Mexico. One of their most ambitious projects is “Manta,” an initiative centered around artificial intelligence and cloud data storage. According to Jonathan Ruiz Torre’s column “Van a ponerle una Manta a Veracruz” in El Financiero, this project will establish a new submarine fiber optic connection between Veracruz and Florida through the Gulf of Mexico.
The project, managed by the U.S.-based company Liberty Networks, involves installing a submarine fiber optic cable with an estimated investment of $250 million. Ruiz Torre compares this to a 50-lane superhighway, but instead of cars, it will transport high-speed digital data. The system is expected to become operational in 2027, supporting the growing demand for data processing driven by artificial intelligence and future quantum computing needs.
The Manta cable will complement existing fiber optic systems already connected in the Yucatán Peninsula and Central America, forming part of a broader telecommunications network. Veracruz’s selection as a connection point is linked to technological investments in Querétaro, where companies like Microsoft, Google, and AWS (Amazon Web Services) have invested around $10 billion in data centers and digital storage regions.
In addition to expanding telecommunications, Sheinbaum’s administration is also promoting the design and production of semiconductors, which are crucial for manufacturing chips used in sectors such as automotive and home electronics.
Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez, head of the Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation, presented the Kutzari Program, a semiconductor design center leveraging Mexico’s 40-plus years of chip manufacturing experience. The program aims to:
– Strengthen the national semiconductor industry
– Propose a new legal and regulatory framework for industrial production and scaling
– Meet the demand for chips in key sectors like automotive and consumer electronics
The semiconductor design center addresses the opportunity identified in 2023 to integrate Mexico into the global chip supply chain, a strategic sector for technological development.
Through these projects, Mexico is positioning itself as a key player in the era of digitalization and artificial intelligence, with Veracruz playing a central role in data connectivity and storage.
Source: AVC Noticias
