KKR, fondo de inversión y capital de riesgo estadounidense, junto con la Autoridad de Inversiones de Kuwait (KIA), NVIDIA y Vistra anunciaron la colaboración para el lanzamiento de Helix Digital Infrastructure, una nueva compañía diseñada para el financiamiento de infraestructura digital, enfocada principalmente en proyectos de Nube a gran escala y servicios de Inteligencia Artificial (IA).

Helix contará con un fondo de más de 10,000 millones de dólares en compromisos de capital a largo plazo aportados principalmente por KKR, KIA, NVIDIA y Vistra. Los fundadores esperan que la compañía sirva como punto de coordinación único para los Centros de Datos, la energía, la conectividad y las necesidades relacionadas con la infraestructura de Nube e IA.

Nvidia también actuará como socio estratégico para respaldar el despliegue de la infraestructura alineada con la fábrica de IA NVIDIA DSX, con el objetivo de maximizar los tokens por vatio, lograr el menor costo total de propiedad y acelerar la obtención del primer token para las inversiones de Helix.

Vistra, empresa especializada en generación de energía y electricidad integrada con operaciones en 18 estados y Washington D.C., será el proveedor de energía preferido para las inversiones de Helix. Tras el cierre de los compromisos iniciales, Helix está abierta a inversores institucionales adicionales que cumplan con los requisitos.

Según KKR, conforme la infraestructura se vuelve más compleja y se acelera la demanda de soluciones basadas en IA, los requerimientos y coordinación de la inversión amenazan con convertirse en un cuello de botella, lo que “ralentiza a las grandes empresas tecnológicas a gran escala a la hora de ofrecer los modelos, servicios y aplicaciones que demandan sus clientes”.

En ese sentido, afirman que “Helix se posicionará como un socio estratégico único y confiable para los proveedores de servicios en la Nube a gran escala, respaldado por una base de capital multimillonaria a largo plazo, capacidades de desarrollo integradas y una ejecución coordinada en toda la infraestructura de IA”.

La compañía estará liderada por Adam Selipsky, ex CEO de Amazon Web Services (AWS), quien aporta experiencia directa en el escalado del negocio de Nube y conocimiento de las prioridades de infraestructura de los proveedores de servicios en la Nube a gran escala. Waldemar Szlezak, director Global de Infraestructura Digital de KKR, será el director de Inversiones de Helix.

“Los grandes usuarios de infraestructura digital tienen una necesidad urgente de reducir la complejidad y desbloquear nuevas capacidades. Helix combina un importante capital a largo plazo con las capacidades y la experiencia necesarias para ofrecer soluciones integrales de infraestructura de IA con rapidez y escalabilidad”, afirmó Selipsky.

Jorge F. Negrete P.

To understand Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is essential to grasp a syllogism: there is no Artificial Intelligence without infrastructure, and that infrastructure is Digital Infrastructure. Period.

AI is not a technology isolated from the digital world; it is enabled by digital infrastructure and by the evolution of connectivity networks that make it viable and vital for this historic moment in our global society. “The coming wave” (Mustafa Suleyman) is the child of connectivity—of the old telecommunications networks that have evolved into a complex and robust concept: digital infrastructure. The stronger and broader the infrastructure, the greater the release of AI. Conversely, mediocre digital infrastructure with limited connectivity for citizens guarantees little or no access to AI.

Governments that fail to be competitive in adopting AI will be left behind in digital economy, competitiveness, innovation, and the opportunity to provide economic and social development to their citizens. Chiapas and Oaxaca, with 20 Mbps bandwidth and just over 50% internet coverage, stand in sharp contrast to Chile’s 400 Mbps and 97% coverage. Some remain trapped in digital marginalization, while others ride the superhighway of global competitiveness.

The relationship between digital infrastructure and AI. There is no public policy, digital policy, science and technology strategy, or economic and investment policy for the digital ecosystem that does not begin with the promotion and deployment of digital infrastructure. Talking about AI in healthcare, education, finance, public security, or computing without digital infrastructure is a fallacy—if not mere propaganda.

AI depends on a solid, high-performance digital infrastructure to function efficiently. The relationship between AI and 5G networks, Data Centers, and processors is symbiotic. AI needs this infrastructure, and in turn, helps manage and optimize it.

AI models, especially Deep Learning, require astronomical processing capacity. Traditional processors are not efficient for AI. This is why Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and, more recently, Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) are used, as they are designed to accelerate the training of large-scale AI models.

Data Centers are the factory and training ground of AI. They are the brain of its infrastructure. Data Centers host thousands of processors and high-performance storage systems. They are vital for training AI models with massive data volumes: they provide computing power, storage, and real-time predictions.

5G networks. Connectivity “is the nervous system” (Carlos Slim) that get together all components of AI. 5G networks, with their high speed, bandwidth, and low latency, are vital for AI. They make AI stable, efficient, and integrated into the digital ecosystem. This allows devices and sensors in factories, smart cities, ports, or autonomous equipment to send and receive vast amounts of data. 5G ensures that AI makes decisions in real time.

Digital infrastructure goes beyond Data Centers; it extends across all telecommunications networks, energy grids, and supply chains.

As AI models grow larger and more complex, AI’s efficiency will depend on the hugeness and capacity of digital infrastructure: more fiber optics, more radio base stations, more spectrum, more powerful processors, larger Data Centers, and faster 5G networks.

The challenge is enormous. Where does that leave Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Michoacán? With the worst connectivity in Mexico? And what about Nuevo León or the Bajío, which need bandwidths like those of Chile or Brazil to remain competitive for foreign investment?

An AI society requires the best digital infrastructure.

President of Digital Policy & Law

X / @fernegretep