Why Costa Rica
A jurisdiction US customers can sign.
For a US customer, the physical location of a data center matters far less than who operates it and what the host country can compel. Costa Rica answers both questions well, and in 2026 it started answering a third: whether it wants this industry at all.
Legal
What the country can and cannot do.
Independent courts
The longest-running democracy in Central America, no military since 1948, a constitutional privacy right, and no surveillance-mandate or forced-access statutes. Government access requires judicial process.
No localization, no expropriation history
No data-localization requirements and no restrictions on moving foreign-subject data in or out. CAFTA-DR gives US investors treaty-backed arbitration.
Light-touch for infrastructure
Costa Rica's privacy statute is consent-based and older than GDPR; for an infrastructure operator hosting foreign data that means thin obligations and gaps closed by contract and certification. Reform toward a GDPR-style regime is pending and would only strengthen the story.
US alignment
Trusted node, on the record.
Export controls
Costa Rica is not in any restricted country group for advanced computing exports; GPUs ship without a country-specific license. Our tenant KYC program and transparent capital structure are built for the rules as they evolve.
Pax Silica and CHIPS ITSI
Costa Rica joined the US-led Pax Silica semiconductor and AI alliance in June 2026 and is a CHIPS Act ITSI partner country. Intel, Amazon and Microsoft already operate here under the free-zone regime.
2026 government posture
A new administration took office in May 2026, pro-private participation in electricity and pro-investment. In September it created a commission to accelerate AI adoption and attract high-capacity data centers.
Physical
Connectivity, climate, incentives.
Dual-coast cables
Submarine systems land on both coasts, including two new cables deployed in December 2025. Redundant dark fiber to San José and to both landings; sub-50 ms to Miami and Dallas.
Free zone
Up to 12 years of full income-tax exemption outside the metropolitan area, duty-free equipment, VAT exemption, and no withholding on distributions, under a regime used by every major US manufacturer in the country.
Renewable context
The national grid ran 98.6% renewable in 2025. We do not depend on it, and we do not take from it; our own plant carries the campus and the grid is a backup.
Not a lawyer's opinion. Formal counsel references on jurisdiction, data protection and structure are in the data room.