Hyphen unveils plant-covered Rio AI City data centre campus

Hyphen, an international architecture firm, has unveiled its vision for Rio AI City, a data centre complex in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, created by Elea Data Centres. Situated in the rural Jacarepaguá region close to the Olympic Park, the development will comprise ten buildings adorned with plants, boasting an energy capacity of 1.5 gigawatts (GW), expandable to 3.5 GW. Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro has declared it will become "Latin America's largest data hub." The Chile office of Hyphen emphasizes that the campus will operate entirely on renewable energy, implement zero-water cooling systems, and repurpose existing Olympic facilities. The green latticework is intended to alleviate the heat-island effect, and the site will embrace public access and showcase local Carioca culture. Phase one is currently underway, with Hyphen providing guidance on its execution. Additionally, the project might link to the Porto Maravilha urban regeneration initiative.