Trinidad and Tobago Signs Data-Center and Steel-Plant Agreements with U.S. Firms

Trinidad and Tobago signed memorandums of understanding on Friday with Hummingbird AI Holdings and Ernst and Young LLP to develop data centers, marking the first such agreements between a Caribbean country and U.S. companies. A third agreement was signed with Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Corporation for further talks on recommissioning a local iron and steel plant.

Ernst and Young LLP plans to partner with third parties on a 300 megawatt data center. Hummingbird AI Holdings will conduct preliminary cooperation, due diligence and coordination for a proposed 150 MW AI infrastructure and data center facility. The U.S.

Government facilitated the parties involved in the agreements, according to the Office of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the companies will invest in two data centers and one project to rejuvenate the steel industry. Government officials said the three initiatives combined are expected to generate over 5,000 jobs.

Social activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh said the government is trying to present something which looks like development but which is not development. Trinidad and Tobago has long faced chronic water shortages, with most homes relying on tanks because state supply can arrive as rarely as once a week.

Data centers could account for nearly 3 percent of the world’s projected electricity use by 2030, according to a United Nations University report. Electricity supply in Trinidad and Tobago has improved in recent years and power outages remain rare.