Articles, insights, and commentary on energy, infrastructure, and building in Latin America and beyond.
Paraguay is seeking AI funding, attracting high-value industries, and renegotiating the Itaipú Treaty — all at once. I zoom in on the energy and AI angle, arguing we should consume our surplus energy locally instead of ceding it to Brazil at a fraction of its worth.
Rest of World's in-depth feature on how Itaipú became a flashpoint for crypto mining — opening with my story of going from 12-hour ISP days during Covid to mining fever in Villarrica. Covers the Itaipú Treaty, Brazil's hold on Paraguay's surplus energy, and the push to consume it locally.
By Laurence Blair · Available in English and Spanish
Read full article on Rest of World →President Santiago Peña visited Penguin Group's data center in Hernandarias — the facility I designed, built, and operated. I'm the one presenting throughout the video, walking the President through the operation on camera. Peña highlighted Paraguay's potential as a tech hub: "Estamos trabajando para que sea una realidad."
Posted by President Santiago Peña · In Spanish · #GobiernoDelParaguay
Watch on Facebook →OCEAN — the Jack Dorsey-backed, non-custodial Bitcoin mining pool — featured me for DATUM's first anniversary. I brought Penguin onto OCEAN as one of the first major mining companies to join. They grew significantly after that.
Penguin Group's official corporate documentary showing the full scope of what we built in Hernandarias — from our own electrical substation to the data center construction, the Penguin Academy coding bootcamps, and the team behind it all. This is the facility I designed and operated as Chief of Data Center Officer. · In English with subtitles
Watch on YouTube →Second appearance on Unicanal's "La Caja Negra" — this time as Penguin Group's Chief of Data Center Operations, making the case for why legal, regulated mining creates jobs, builds infrastructure, and generates value from Paraguay's surplus energy. · In Spanish
Watch on YouTube → Read Penguin's writeup →My first national TV appearance on crypto mining — on La Caja Negra, still as Manager and Co-owner of Go! Internet. This was the period when press, national and international, started calling. The topic: crypto mining as a booming, unregulated business in Paraguay, and why state intervention was needed to kickstart proper regulation. · April 12, 2022 · In Spanish
Watch on Facebook →IP Paraguay's coverage of the crypto mining boom in Villarrica, featuring my story as the opening — from 12-hour ISP days to mining fever. Covers CLYFSA's cheap energy, the Itaipú Treaty, and the push for a miners' guild. · In Spanish
Leer en IP Paraguay →