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Argentina's Milei pitches no-regulation AI haven to data center investors

Argentina is courting AI data centers with a no-regulation pledge and proposed tax cuts, but the plans remain mostly on paper and the incentive bill still needs Senate approval.

Photo: FourWeekMBA

What happened

President Javier Milei is pitching Argentina as a haven for AI data centers, promising a hands-off approach to attract the foreign investment his crisis-prone country needs. AP News+2 He told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington last month that Argentina will not regulate artificial intelligence and will leave it free. newser.com+2 Visitor logs show a steady stream of tech figures meeting Milei and his aides in recent months, from venture capitalist Peter Thiel to representatives of OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Oracle and data center companies. newser.com+1 Foreign Ministry records show data center developer Crusoe, which helped build OpenAI's flagship campus in Texas, sought talks this year with Argentine energy officials about U.S. government-backed investments. aawsat.com Milei is touting Patagonia's open land, abundant wind and gas, proposed tax breaks and the promise not to regulate AI. Ottumwa Courier

Around it

The incentive scheme would cut the corporate income tax rate to 15% for projects of at least $1 billion in AI and other emerging industries, compared with 25% under the existing RIGI regime and 35% under the general rule. FourWeekMBA The plans remain mostly on paper, with investors wary of next year's election. Ottumwa Courier The biggest test is near Trelew, where a Polish developer plans a $3 billion campus that at full capacity could use nearly three times as much electricity as Buenos Aires. Ottumwa Courier Ranchers who leased the land welcome the project, while others fear the environmental toll and question what Argentina will get in return. Ottumwa Courier

What comes next

The tax measure is awaiting Senate approval. FourWeekMBA+1

Sources

  1. AP NewsArgentina's Milei pitches a regulation-free AI haven at the end...
  2. newser.comArgentina’s Milei pitches a regulation-free AI haven at the end of the world
  3. Ottumwa CourierArgentina's Milei pitches a regulation-free AI haven at the end of the world
  4. FourWeekMBAMilei Pitches a Regulation-Free AI Haven With a 15% Tax Rate
  5. aawsat.comArgentina’s Milei Pitches a Regulation-Free AI Haven at the End of the World
  6. Superpower DailyMilei courts AI data centers with a no-regulation pledge and proposed tax cuts

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