The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum launched the development of the supercomputer, Coatlico, as part of Plan Mexico, its ambitious six-year strategy to attract millions of dollars in investment and increase national production. José Merino, head of the Digital Transformation and Communications Agency, announced at the morning conference on Wednesday that the project will solve public problems that require significant data analysis capacity in matters of environment, energy, health and other public sector needs.
The system will take 24 months to build and will require an investment of P6,000 million. It will be operated by Mexican scientists specializing in advanced computing, with technical support from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the Center for the Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in India. The project will be integrated into the National Supercomputing Cluster, the university network of high-capacity equipment coordinated by the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI). The final location of the supercomputer will be determined in January 2026, a decision that will depend on factors such as water availability, energy access, seismic activity of the region and regional connectivity.
What is this?
Coatlicue is a supercomputer designed to analyze millions of data using thousands of processors running simultaneously. The system consists of 15,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), 7,500 chassis and 200 cabinets, an infrastructure that together equates to the power of about 400,000 computers running simultaneously.
“It will allow Mexico to fully engage in the use of artificial intelligence and data processing,” Sheinbaum said during the presentation. “Today we do not have the possibility to do this because we do not have sufficient computing power. This will help us a lot, not only in the development of science and technology, but fundamentally in the development of the country.”
The chosen name appeals to the goddess of fertility in Mexican tradition, who is considered the mother of all gods. An emblematic statue of this figure, notable for its state of preservation, is on display in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.
What is its purpose?
Coatlicue will be used to solve general problems that require significant computing power, from generating weather forecasts, anticipating natural disasters and crop planning to improve crops, to processing images of soil and subsoil in search of water, oil and gas. It will also allow customs and invoice data to be analyzed to detect possible acts of corruption and tax evasion. In addition, it will serve as a platform for conducting cutting-edge scientific research in strategic sectors, supporting entrepreneurial projects that need computational power, and providing massive computing services for private initiatives.