Data centres in São Paulo: build cost and the life of the specification

Building a data centre in São Paulo costs on average US$ 11.66 per watt, against US$ 15.01 in Silicon Valley and US$ 11.80 in Northern Virginia, according to the Turner & Townsend index reported by EXAME. São Paulo ranks 30th.

The 2026-27 edition of the Data Centre Construction Cost Index, published on 22 October 2026, covers 62 markets and more than 500 projects. In the United States, facilities designed for AI cost about 10% more than traditional ones, because of rack density, liquid cooling and accelerated schedules. The most advanced sit between US$ 14 and US$ 16 per watt.

Cost per watt measures the build. The life of the specification is a separate account: a building designed for low-density racks may need new electrical and cooling systems when the tenant moves to AI. The same survey records 81% of respondents facing constrained skilled labour, with electrical and mechanical trades among the most contested.

A cheap build attracts the investment. A specification ready for the change in load preserves the asset's value beyond the first generation of servers.