The recent investment announced by CloudHQ for more than US$4.8 billion for a data center in Queretaro confirms Mexico’s appeal for global companies. The Mexican Data Center Association projects the construction of more than 100 new data centers by 2030, with direct investment above US$9 billion and an indirect impact of nearly US$27 billion. Queretaro, Nuevo Leon, and Jalisco are becoming the country’s major tech hubs, creating jobs and boosting innovation and competitiveness.

But the success of this digital transformation also depends on our ability to make it sustainable.

A report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2024 found that data centers in the United States used more than 64 billion liters of water in 2023 directly for cooling, and almost 800 billion more through the water needed to produce the electricity that powers them. By 2028, those numbers could double or even quadruple. The impact is even greater when the electricity comes from fossil fuels because power generation with gas or coal requires much more water than solar or wind energy. These numbers make one thing clear: If Mexico wants to stay attractive for tech investment, it needs to move toward more efficient models in water and energy use.

At Hydrous Management Group, we work with water recycling and reuse technologies through advanced membranes and modular units that use non-conventional sources like wastewater or industrial process water for data center cooling or production needs. This reduces pressure on local water supplies and improves operational efficiency.

Other innovations that are starting to be adopted include systems that use direct cooling and heat pumps that reuse waste heat and avoid evaporation losses. There are also desiccant-based materials that capture humidity from the air and turn it into usable water. Circular thermal recovery is another approach that uses waste heat to regenerate water or support other industrial applications.

To this technology wave we can add a promising energy alternative, the Small Modular Nuclear Reactors known as SMR. These reactors allow faster deployment, have a compact size suitable for industrial parks or data centers, offer zero emissions, and deliver high operational reliability. They can also work alongside treatment plants or desalination systems, opening the door to a safer, cleaner, and more self-sufficient energy model.

All these solutions show that water does not have to be a risk for operations. It can become a strategic asset that strengthens business continuity and competitiveness.

In the new data economy, competitiveness will not depend on steel or silicon. It will depend on something more essential, on water, energy, and the intelligence with which we use them.

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