Rio de Janeiro's biggest data center plan is Rio AI City, a campus at the former Olympic Park in the Southwest Zone that Elea Data Centers is developing with City Hall. On June 8, 2026, Elea announced a US$550 million investment and signed a 36-month cooperation agreement with Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere. It plans 1.5 gigawatts of power at first, rising to 3 gigawatts by 2032, with Elea's existing RJO1 data center already running on the project and new buildings to follow.
Where the power comes from is still an open question. When then-Mayor Eduardo Paes launched it in April 2025, promising clean energy and "unlimited" water, City Hall did not answer the energy outlet eixos about where the electricity would come from. A Federal University of Rio de Janeiro researcher, Piero Carlo Sclaverano dos Reis, has said the campus could need up to 3 gigawatts, more than the metro area's average load of about 1.8 gigawatts. Elea's architects promise certified renewable power and cooling that uses no water.
Rio already has several working data centers, most of them in the North Zone. Ascenty runs two in Pavuna, of 10 and 3 megawatts, in an area RioOnWatch says is known for water shortages and power outages. Equinix operates RJ1 in Botafogo and RJ2 in Del Castilho, and ODATA, owned by Aligned Data Centers, runs its RJ01 site. Asked for data on the energy and water use of the city's data centers, the municipal environment office told RioOnWatch the information did not exist in its systems.
Projects not tied to an area
Sites whose records name no county. Everything else is on the pages listed above.
Rio de Janeiro6
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio AI City | Elea Data Centers | Proposed | 1,500 MW | |
| CloudHQ Rio de Janeiro (GIG Campus)Sao Joao de Meriti | CloudHQ | Proposed | 36 MW | |
| Scala Rio de Janeiro (Sao Joao de Meriti) | Scala Data Centers (DigitalBridge) | 13.2 MW | ||
| Ascenty Rio de JaneiroPavuna | Ascenty (Digital Realty) | 13 MW | ||
| Aligned RJ-01 (Rio de Janeiro)Rod. Pres. Dutra | Aligned Data Centers (ODATA) | Not reported | ||
| Equinix Rio de Janeiro Campus (RJ1/RJ2)Botafogo | Equinix | Not reported | Source off site ↗ |
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.