In the heart of South America, Paraguay is quietly nurturing an ambitious dream — to transform itself into a global technology powerhouse. Leading this transformation is Gabriela Cibils, a computer scientist and entrepreneur determined to turn the landlocked nation into the “Silicon Valley of South America.”
Growing up in Paraguay, Cibils recalls that technology was far from the national focus. Yet, with both parents working in the tech sector, she was inspired early on. After earning a degree in computing and neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley, and spending nearly a decade working in Silicon Valley, she returned home to help spearhead Paraguay’s emerging digital revolution.
Now a partner at Cibersons, an international technology and investment firm based in Asunción, Cibils is focused on attracting global tech giants to invest in Paraguay’s growing ecosystem. What gives the country a unique edge, she says, is its remarkable abundance of cheap, clean, and renewable energy — a resource that few nations can match.
At the core of this advantage is the colossal Itaipu Dam, a hydroelectric powerhouse on the Paraná River that produces around 90% of Paraguay’s electricity and 10% of Brazil’s. With nearly all of its power generation coming from hydroelectric sources, Paraguay has become the world’s largest exporter of clean energy and enjoys the lowest electricity prices in South America.
Government officials believe this energy surplus could be the country’s key to attracting data centers and artificial intelligence investments, both of which require massive amounts of steady, renewable electricity. “Hydropower is ideal for AI data centers and other energy-intensive industries,” says software entrepreneur Sebastián Ortiz-Chamorro. “It’s reliable, renewable, and available at scale.”
