Country profile · Rank 94 of 108 · Emerging Upside
Guatemala compute capacity
Guatemala runs about 20 MW of live datacenter capacity as of 7 September 2026, a Gross Domestic Compute of $1.0B (an estimate). Its identified energy resource could host about 10 GW of AI compute, a ceiling worth $600B to $800B at today's price of a gigawatt, about 7 times its $121B GDP. The bankable slice today, discounted mainly for governance and momentum, is $60B, or $3,181 per person. Guatemala is emerging upside, ranked 94 of 108 countries by unlockable value.
Key numbers
| Live datacenter capacity | 20 MW | IT capacity, mid-2026. Estimate: below the top 35 markets. |
|---|---|---|
| Live compute (GDC) | $1.0B | Live GW × $50B, the central price of an AI factory. |
| Resource ceiling | 10 GW | Identified hydro, geothermal, solar, wind and surplus fossil resource. |
| Ceiling value | $600B to $800B | Ceiling GW × $60 to 80B per GW, NVIDIA's all-in figure. |
| Ceiling as a multiple of GDP | 7× | High end over nominal GDP of $121B (IMF). |
| Unlockable value | $60B | Firm untapped GW × $50B × readiness. The bankable slice. |
| Unlockable per person | $3,181 | IMF population, 2026. |
| Built | 15.3% | Hydro and geothermal already installed, over the ceiling. |
| Readiness | 52% | Eight-part discount. Binding: governance and momentum. |
| Conversion score | 10 | 0 to 100. Unchanged since 19 Aug. |
| Tier | Emerging Upside | In between: a narrower gap, and a real one. |
| Rank | 94 of 108 | By unlockable value. 16 of 18 in Americas. |
Three numbers, one scale
Ceiling is what the endowment could host; unlockable is the slice underwriters would sign today; live compute is what runs. Drawn on one linear scale on purpose: the gap is the point.
Projects on the ground
No sovereign AI factory for Guatemala is on the register yet. Announcements, contracts and stalls are tracked as reported; send one to the desk.
Americas: how Guatemala compares
| # | Country | Unlockable | Live compute | Readiness | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6.4T | $2.0T | 83% | Incumbent | |
| 3 | $4.5T | $70B | 95% | Primed | |
| 4 | $3.8T | $45B | 74% | Primed | |
| 7 | $1.9T | $3.5B | 61% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 11 | $1.4T | $20B | 64% | Emerging Upside | |
| 13 | $1.1T | $2.5B | 54% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 19 | $711B | $15B | 77% | Primed | |
| 23 | $636B | under $1B | 47% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 24 | $618B | $7.5B | 63% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 40 | $363B | $1.0B | 45% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 57 | $261B | under $1B | 45% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 60 | $238B | $1.0B | 23% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 63 | $214B | $2.5B | 77% | Primed | |
| 72 | $183B | under $1B | 54% | Sleeping Giant | |
| 82 | $148B | $2.5B | 70% | Primed | |
| 94 | $60B | $1.0B | 52% | Emerging Upside | |
| 96 | $37B | under $1B | 47% | Emerging Upside | |
| 102 | $21B | $3.0B | 61% | Emerging Upside |
What compute costs right now
The price of the silicon a country would host, from the tape. Labeled buy-now prints from named venues.
Questions people ask
How much data center capacity does Guatemala have?
Guatemala runs about 20 MW of live datacenter IT capacity as of 7 Sep 2026, an estimate: country totals below the top 35 markets are estimated. Valued at $50B per gigawatt, that is a Gross Domestic Compute of $1.0B.
What is Guatemala's compute net worth?
The ceiling is $600B to $800B: 10 GW of identified hydro, geothermal, solar, wind and surplus fossil resource valued at $60 to 80B per gigawatt, NVIDIA's all-in figure for an AI factory. That is 7 times Guatemala's $121B GDP. The bankable slice today, after a readiness discount of 52%, is $60B.
What holds Guatemala back from converting its energy into compute?
Readiness scores 52% on an eight-part discount stack (governance, stability, GPU access, grid, fiber, momentum, physical conditions and capital access). For Guatemala the binding discounts are governance and momentum. It has built 15.3% of its ceiling as generating capacity, and its conversion score is 10 of 100.
How does Guatemala compare with its neighbours?
Guatemala ranks 94 of 108 countries by unlockable value, and 16 of 18 in Americas. The regional leader is United States at $6.4T unlockable and $2.0T of live compute.
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