October 23， 2025
FORTALEZA, Brazil – Tecto, the data center platform of digital infrastructure firm V.tal, has officially launched its "Mega Lobster" facility in Fortaleza, marking the inauguration of its sixth data center in South America and the largest such facility in Brazil's Northeast region by design capacity.
The new data center, designated TFOR3, represents an investment of 550 million reais (US$96.7 million). Upon full build-out, it is projected to reach a total capacity of 20MW. The facility has entered operation in its first phase with 3MW of live capacity. According to CTO Alexandre Demarchi, who spoke with BNamericas at the launch event, one of the site's ten data halls has already been fully sold to a single, unnamed client.
Two additional data halls are currently in the process of being occupied. Each hall spans 300m² and can accommodate approximately 1,000 racks. Demarchi noted that the current power density is around 10kW per rack, with the infrastructure designed to support future demands of up to 100kW or 130kW per rack.
Mega Lobster currently operates with a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.5, a metric expected to improve over time, moving closer to the ideal ratio of 1.0. The facility utilizes a closed-loop cooling system with recycled water, resulting in a water usage effectiveness (WUE) of zero. It is also equipped with two fiber optic ports. Key equipment suppliers for the project include Vertiv, Schneider Electric, Stulz, and ABB.
Constructed by Afonso França Engenharia in approximately one year, the data center is situated on a 13,000m² plot in the Praia do Futuro district, with 3,000m² dedicated to IT space. This location is the landing point for 17 submarine cables and is just 2km from Tecto's existing "Big Lobster" data center, which opened in 2023 with a 7MW capacity.
The new facility will be integrated with the local submarine cable landing station (CLS), which houses Ceará's central internet traffic exchange point (PIX)—the second-busiest in Brazil. This integration further solidifies the region's status as a critical digital hub.
CEO José Miguel Vilela stated that Mega Lobster was specifically engineered to support the escalating demand for high-volume data processing from big tech firms, content providers, and operators in fields like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and machine learning.
With this launch, Tecto's operational portfolio now comprises six data centers: three in Fortaleza (TFOR1, TFOR2, TFOR3), one in Rio de Janeiro (TGIG1), and two in Barranquilla, Colombia (TBAQ1, TBAQ2).
US$1 Billion Expansion: Five New Sites Announced
During the event, CEO Vilela also detailed plans for the construction of five new data centers, advancing the US$1 billion capital expenditure program unveiled last year. At least some of these new facilities are anticipated to be completed by 2026.
The five new projects are slated for Belém, Recife, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre. Vilela confirmed that land has already been acquired for some sites, with other purchases in their final stages. The Porto Alegre facility will be strategically connected to a new V.tal submarine cable, developed in partnership with Meta, which is an extension of the Malbec system expected to land in 2027.
In addition to these five projects, Tecto plans to break ground this year on a previously announced hyperscale-focused complex in Santana de Parnaíba, São Paulo. This massive facility boasts a projected total capacity of 200MW, with its first phase expected to come online in 2027. V.tal and Tecto are backed by investors BTG Pactual, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, and the Canadian pension fund CPPIB.
Brazil's Communications Minister, Frederico Filho, who attended the launch, hailed the Mega Lobster facility as "essential for Brazil’s digital infrastructure." He emphasized that the data center industry contributes 6.5% to the nation's GDP and supports approximately 2 million direct and indirect jobs, with 195 sites currently operating across 19 states.
Minister Filho also reaffirmed the government's commitment to invest 3.5 billion reais (US$614 million) in the sector by 2029. He added that the government is analyzing data from a survey on submarine cables and plans to invest in and offer credit for upgrading these critical systems, many of which are approaching the end of their operational life.
SOURCE bnamericas.com
