The big picture: Digital Guyana, data centres and the region

What you will learn

• The key national milestones in ICT and AI
• What a data centre is and why governments want them
• What the region is doing together
• How to read government and company announcements wisely

Reading the news like a pro

Before we start, one skill. When you read about technology plans, sort each item into one of these boxes:

• Announced: someone said it will happen.
• Agreed: there is a signed document, like an MoU or contract.
• Under way: work has visibly started.
• Done: it exists and people are using it.

Many things in this lesson are in the first two boxes. That is normal for big projects. It is also why GuyanaHub labels each item in the AI in Guyana timeline with its date and source.

Milestones at home

2022: the ICT Master Plan 2030

On 20 April 2022, the President addressed the "Discovery kick-off" meeting for Guyana's ICT Master Plan 2030 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. He described it as bringing all ICT work onto one common agenda, and said coding would be brought into schools, starting with basic training at primary level (Office of the President, 20 Apr 2022).

2025: "Digital Guyana", AskGov and a sovereign AI cloud

• In June 2025 the President outlined plans for AskGov, an AI assistant for government services, and mentioned a US$34.5 million contract with Veridos for the national e-ID system (DPI, 25 Jun 2025).
• In August 2025, at the launch of the PPP/C manifesto, a "Digital Guyana" strategy was presented that included a citizen portal, AskGov and plans for the country's first sovereign AI cloud, meaning computing where Guyana's data is stored inside Guyana's borders (DPI, 25 Aug 2025). This was presented as a party manifesto plan.

November 2025: an MoU for an AI data centre at Wales

On 12 November 2025, the Government of Guyana and Cerebras Systems, a US AI computing company, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build and operate an AI data centre of up to 100 megawatts at Wales, West Bank Demerara (DPI, 12 Nov 2025; Cerebras, 12 Nov 2025). According to the joint release:

• The site is near the Gas-to-Energy plant, with natural gas to provide power on site.
• It would use Cerebras CS-3 AI supercomputers and serve international demand.
• The MoU includes a commitment to data sovereignty and protection.
• Cerebras said it would invest in training Guyanese, research, university partnerships and internships.

What is an MoU? It is a written statement of intent between parties. It shows serious interest and sets out what each side plans to do, but it is usually not the same as a final, detailed contract. Watch for later news on contracts, construction and jobs.

What is a data centre? A building full of powerful computers, storage and network equipment, with steady power and cooling. AI needs huge computing power, so countries with reliable energy and land are pitching for these projects.

2026: digital services and more interest

• January 2026: The Prime Minister listed achievements including Guyana's first Internet Exchange Point (GYIXP), the data centre MoU, the ICT Master Plan 2030 and efforts to update the Cybercrime Act, and said high-speed internet was being expanded to 253 remote and hinterland communities (DPI, 29 Jan 2026).
• February 2026: The Minister of Public Service outlined the Citizen Connect App, Gov Connect App, My Guyana Citizen Portal and AskGov (still in development) (DPI, 4 Feb 2026). Later that month, he said the government was carefully reviewing data centre proposals and that AI would play a role across agriculture, health and public services (DPI, 18 Feb 2026).
• March 2026: The Digital Identity Card Act came into operation on 31 March (Demerara Waves, 31 Mar 2026).
• May 2026: Speaking in Houston, the President said major hyperscale data centre operators were looking at Guyana (DPI, 7 May 2026). No specific additional company was named in that report.

The region: working together on AI

Small countries can achieve more together. Two key steps:

• 18 July 2025: The Caribbean Telecommunications Union launched the CTU Caribbean AI Task Force, chaired by Dr. Craig Ramlal of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Its four aims are to harmonise AI policies and rules across the region, build AI talent with a focus on youth, women and under-represented communities, promote ethical and responsible AI, and encourage cross-sector collaboration (CTU, 18 Jul 2025).
• 23 to 24 July 2026: The 1st Caribbean AI Forum was held at UWI St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, under the theme "AI for Caribbean Transformation: Governance, Innovation and Resilience for a Shared Digital Future". The Task Force report was launched there (CTU, 23 Jul 2026).

Regional work shapes shared standards and model laws. Each country, including Guyana, then decides what to adopt.

Big questions worth discussing

These are open questions for learning and discussion. GuyanaHub does not take sides.

1. Jobs: How many jobs will a data centre create for Guyanese, and what skills will they need?
2. Energy: How should power for data centres be balanced with power for homes and businesses?
3. Data sovereignty: What does it mean in practice for Guyanese data to stay in Guyana?
4. Privacy: How do new digital services connect with the Data Protection Act? (See Lesson 8.)
5. Access: How do we make sure hinterland and riverain communities benefit, not only Georgetown?

Official links: who is building Digital Guyana

These are official sites, checked on 24 Oct 2026. Text links only. The full list is on the Government and learning links page.

• Industry and Innovation Unit, Office of the Prime Minister (Office of the Prime Minister): The OPM unit that promotes ICT: community ICT hubs, hackathons, Girls in ICT, boot camps, an ICT job board and the Innovation Challenge. https://innovation.gov.gy/
• National Data Management Authority (NDMA) (Government of Guyana): The agency that runs government ICT networks, WiFiGY public internet sites, G-Cloud and government cybersecurity. https://ndma.gov.gy/
• Government of Guyana Portal (Government of Guyana): The official one-stop portal listing government services and agencies by topic. https://portal.gov.gy/
• Digital Identity Card Registry (e-ID) (Government of Guyana): Official e-ID portal: who can apply, what documents to bring and where the service centres are. https://e-id.gov.gy/
• ICT Access and e-Services project, Low Carbon Development Strategy timeline (Government of Guyana (LCDS)): Short official LCDS summary of the hinterland ICT access project. https://lcds.gov.gy/timeline/ict-access-and-e-services-for-hinterland-poor-and-remote-communities/
• ICT Access and e-Services for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities (project page) (Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF), governed by the OPM): Project page for the ICT hubs and e-services programme for 200 hinterland, poor and remote communities, with progress reports. https://www.guyanareddfund.org/project/ict-access-and-e-services-for-hinterland-poor-and-remote-communities/
• Telecommunications Agency (Government of Guyana): The government agency that manages telecommunications licensing and the radio spectrum. https://telecoms.gov.gy/
• Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) (Government of Guyana): The government agency that promotes and helps investment and exports, including in the ICT and outsourcing sector. https://www.guyanainvest.gov.gy/
• Department of Public Information (DPI) (Government of Guyana): The government's official news service. Many facts in these lessons link here. https://dpi.gov.gy/

Key words

• MoU (Memorandum of Understanding): a written statement of intent between parties, usually before a final contract.
• Data centre: a facility housing many computers and storage systems.
• Sovereign AI cloud: AI computing and data storage kept within a country's borders and control.
• Internet Exchange Point (IXP): a place where internet networks connect locally so local traffic stays local.
• Hyperscale: very large-scale computing operations, like those of the biggest cloud companies.