Mexico quickly integrated into the global expansion of artificial intelligence through the assembly of servers, the export of computing equipment, and the development of infrastructure for data centers. However, the growth of external sales does not mean the country is capturing an equivalent share of the technological value generated.
Mexico's position is strategic but also limited: it participates in a chain that demands manufacturing, energy, logistics, and digital services, while high-value activities — such as chip design, platform development, and intellectual property — remain concentrated outside the country. This difference determines whether AI will become a development lever or a new form of dependency.
The export boom shows a concrete opportunity
In 2025, Mexico exported 85,416 million dollars in computing equipment, a 144.8% year-over-year increase. The share of this sector in national exports rose from 6% to 12.85%, driven in part by demand for components and systems used in data centers for AI.
The trend continued during the first half of 2026, when exports of computing equipment associated with AI infrastructure reached 82,900 million dollars and grew 172% year over year. About 93.9% of these products were destined for the United States, where they are used to expand computing, storage, and processing capacity.
The infrastructure also attracts capital. The Mexican Association of Data Centers estimates investments of 82,500 million dollars in construction and equipment between 2026 and 2031. The economic impact, however, will depend on the availability of electricity, water, skilled talent, and suppliers capable of participating in more stages of the chain.
The risk is confusing assembly with technological development
A significant part of the exported equipment is integrated in Mexico with imported components, especially from Asia. This structure allows leveraging the country's location and access to the North American market, but reduces domestic content and limits the benefits that remain in the Mexican economy.
The challenge does not require building the entire chain of advanced semiconductors from scratch. Mexico can increase its participation through specialized suppliers, engineering services, testing, packaging, cooling systems, energy, enterprise software, and solutions to manage data-driven operations.
For companies, this transition means moving from observing technological investment to using it in measurable processes. Automating repetitive tasks, centralizing conversations, integrating catalogs and inventories, and analyzing results allow AI to become productivity, even when the organization does not develop its own models.
Enterprise adoption will be part of the answer
At Onix Board we offer multichannel conversational automation, unified inbox, e-commerce management, AI-assisted support, and analytics dashboards by flow and channel. These tools enable starting specific projects, defining indicators, and evaluating results before expanding implementation.
Mexico already has a visible position in the international AI value chain, but its position is still open. To move toward higher-value activities it will be necessary to combine infrastructure, training, corporate innovation, and talent retention with business solutions that turn technology into verifiable results.