SAO PAULO, May 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian investment firm

Patria Investimentos on Friday announced the launch of

Omnia, a hyperscale data center platform that will invest about

$1 billion in its first project in the next 18 to 24 months, as

cloud computing and artificial intelligence adoption accelerates

in Latin America.

The region, particularly Brazil, is emerging as a hub for

data center investors, drawn by its abundance of renewable

energy and relatively unconstrained growth prospects, standing

in contrast to the more saturated markets in the U.S. and

Europe.

According to Felipe Pinto, Patria's partner responsible for

infrastructure investments in the region, global demand for data

centers is expected to more than double by 2030, with capacity

in Latin America potentially more than tripling in the next few

years, requiring up to $50 billion in new funding.

Patria's investment in Omnia will be channeled through one

of its infrastructure funds and will focus mainly on artificial

intelligence, with the firm seeking to meet the needs of major

global technology players.

According to Rodrigo Abreu, Patria's operating partner of

digital infrastructure and Omnia's CEO, the "focus is on

developing large-scale projects that cater to the world's top

technology firms - a group of 10 to 15 global companies."

Patria had previously created Odata, a data center firm that

was acquired by U.S.-based Aligned Data Centers in 2023.

Omnia will focus on Brazil, Mexico and Chile, utilizing

exclusively renewable energy sources.

The first campus is slated for construction in Brazil, with

work expected to start in the second half of the year. The exact

location of the project, however, has not been disclosed yet.

According to Abreu, Brazil offers good locations in

metropolitan areas and, along with the rest of Latin America,

boasts a relatively favorable regulatory environment and

geopolitical neutrality, making it an attractive spot for such

investments.