The Ministry of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence (MPAAI) has firmly rejected a Sunday Guardian report published on July 19th, 2026, which claimed that a major Tier IV data centre had already been established by the Government, but that its location remained secret.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry denied the report, which alleged that the Government had secretly advanced infrastructure for an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre, stating that the claim “is patently false and is built on a fundamental error.”
The Ministry explained that the article conflated an inherited government data centre project initiated under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration with a separate commercial AI infrastructure initiative now being explored by the present Government but clarified that they are not the same project.
It noted, “As reflected in Cabinet documents approved in 2022, the former PNM Government proposed a Tier IV National Data Centre at Phoenix Park Industrial Estate to support Government digital services, strengthen national cybersecurity and reduce the State’s reliance on costly external data hosting arrangements. Despite those plans, the project was never completed or operationalised by the former administration.
The distinction is straightforward.
A Tier IV National Data Centre is designed to provide secure Government data storage and digital services. Its Tier IV classification refers only to the reliability and resilience of the facility. It is not a measure of artificial intelligence capability.
By contrast, the AI facilities contemplated under the Government’s Memoranda of Understanding with Ernst & Young LLP and Hummingbird AI Holdings are proposed commercial, high-performance computing facilities intended to support enterprise AI and other advanced computing applications.
They involve a completely different technical architecture, investment model and purpose.”
The Ministry went on to say that the newspaper article also wrongly presented procurement activity and Memoranda of Understanding as evidence that a commercial AI data centre already exists in Trinidad and Tobago.
“They do not. Procurement is not proof that a facility has been completed or commissioned, and an MOU is not a construction contract or final investment approval. The MPAAI therefore rejects both the highly questionable headline and the central premise of the Sunday Guardian report. They are based on a misconstruction of the underlying projects and technical concepts, leading to conclusions that are unsupported by the facts.”
The Ministry said it was particularly concerning that a report of this nature should appear on the front page of a national newspaper “without the technical rigour, balance and verification that the public is entitled to expect.”
It said it trusts that future media reporting on matters of national importance will be guided by the principles of accuracy, fairness, context and proper verification that underpin responsible journalism.
The MPAAI said it remains committed to transparency, the modernisation of Trinidad and Tobago’s digital infrastructure, and the responsible advancement of artificial intelligence in the national interest and will continue to place accurate information before the public and respond whenever misinformation threatens to distort matters of national importance.