00:00As Trinidad and Tobago positions itself to become a destination for large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure,
00:08questions are being raised about whether the country has the specialized expertise needed to support the industry.
00:17Anton Alexander is a TNT-born senior generative AI specialist at Amazon Web Services.
00:23He was speaking in his personal capacity and his views do not represent AWS.
00:30I think that the Prime Minister and the government are in the right direction in terms of what they're doing.
00:41I think that this subject is very, very, very nuanced and the talent pool is very small.
00:49Alexander says AI infrastructure is among the most advanced technology in the world.
00:56And while the potential economic benefits may be significant,
01:00he questions the assumption that simply building a data center will translate into large numbers of local jobs.
01:08He says the question is particularly important for Trinidad and Tobago because the expertise required to build and operate large
01:18-scale AI facilities is in short supply globally.
01:22Why would we assume Trinidad, right, could be there?
01:27Where is the talent for this?
01:28How are the jobs going to get created?
01:31What jobs are they talking about here, right?
01:34And according to Alexander, the infrastructure required goes far beyond land and electricity.
01:42AI data centers rely on specialized GPU servers, high-speed networks, substations, and sophisticated power systems.
01:52The computing equipment also produces significant heat, creating another major infrastructure challenge.
02:00Cooling.
02:01Alexander says cooling systems themselves require highly specialized expertise.
02:08In July 2026, the government of Trinidad and Tobago signed three major memoranda of understanding,
02:15with U.S. companies aiming for up to U.S. $5 billion in potential investments.
02:21The MOUs are for the development of a 300-megawatt data center and supporting infrastructure with Ernest & Young,
02:30a proposed 150-megawatt AI infrastructure and data center facility with potential expansion to 500 megawatts with Hummingbird AI,
02:41and an agreement with Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium Corporation to explore recommissioning the iron and steel plant at the Point
02:50Lisa's industrial estate in Coover.
02:53Feshana Pagu, TV6 News.
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