Data Centers in Guatemala

Guatemala – Central America’s Vital Network Bridge

Executive Summary

Guatemala serves as the primary digital conduit for traffic moving between North and Central America. It is the essential destination for organizations requiring local processing for over 17 million citizens while maintaining reliable, low-latency paths to Mexico and the United States. This market provides the necessary infrastructure for businesses to secure a stable foothold in the Northern Triangle.

Guatemala: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Guatemala acts as a mature transit point for regional data, blending terrestrial fiber with significant subsea landings.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: over 10 as of September 2025. Major regional players like Tigo and Claro maintain a heavy presence. Several carrier-neutral facilities in Guatemala City allow for diverse routing and specialized interconnection requirements.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: Over 0, enabling access to 0 cloud regions as of September 2025. While there are no local physical on-ramps for AWS or Microsoft Azure, providers offer private waves to the nearest major cloud hubs in Mexico City or the United States.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Most traffic exchange occurs through private peering. Local traffic is increasingly managed through national peering points in Guatemala City to keep domestic data within the country and reduce latency for local end-users.

Bare Metal: High-performance compute options are available through global providers such as Hivelocity and Latitude.sh. These services allow for rapid deployment of local workloads without the capital expenditure of hardware ownership.

Power Analysis

The power environment in Guatemala is favorable for industrial users, characterized by a stable grid and a strong move toward green energy.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity is priced at US$0.09/kWh as of December 2024. This rate is competitive for the region, directly lowering the total cost of ownership for high-density colocation deployments.

Power Grid Reliability: The national grid is well-engineered in major industrial corridors such as Guatemala City and Mixco. Critical facilities utilize multi-substation support and on-site generation to ensure high availability for mission-critical workloads.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

The business landscape is concentrated in the capital, which serves as a gateway for regional operations.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are centrally located near the financial core of Guatemala City and the industrial zones of Mixco. This positioning is vital for low-latency financial transactions and supporting regional logistics firms.

Regional Market Reach: Guatemala provides a stable platform to reach millions of local consumers and acts as a springboard for services targeting the broader Northern Triangle of Central America.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: While specific industry breaks are absent, businesses benefit from competitive industrial power rates and a predictable 12% VAT. This structure simplifies budgeting for providers managing regional digital operations.

Natural Disaster Risk

The overall risk profile for Guatemala is High (5.3/10) as of September 2025. Site selection must prioritize facilities built to modern seismic standards.

• Earthquake: 9.5/10. Seismic activity is the primary concern, requiring resilient structural engineering and strict adherence to building codes.
• Tsunami: 6.8/10. This is a regional risk for coastal landing stations; however, primary data center clusters are inland at higher elevations.
• Epidemic: 5.5/10. This represents a moderate risk to operational continuity and workforce availability.
• River Flood: 4.2/10. Seasonal rainfall can impact specific areas, making purpose-built drainage and raised flooring essential.

Other hazards such as tropical cyclones and coastal flooding are minor risks for the primary data center clusters located in the central highlands as of September 2025.