The news is a big blow for the business sector: when everything seemed to indicate that the arrival of Amazon in Argentina was diluted, the issue returned to the headlines. And so much surprise has caused the company in question as the chosen place to advance its ambitious initiative.Andrés Ibarra, Deputy Chief of Staff and Secretary of Modernization of the National Government, assures that Jujuy has been the province chosen by Jeff Bezos to install a data center in the country or, in other words, to make the largest investment in the entire region.The official assures that Amazon has in the folder advances in different initiatives, including the "edge datacenters" that complement the main nodes.In addition, he points out that the province of the north of the country will be the great beneficiary, based on "a very important marketing and positioning work and thanks to its geographical and climatic benefits". "They are shaping a project that is quite comprehensive or network," he says, so the chances are high.In dialogue with iProUP, sources close to the secretariat confirmed that, indeed, "the country is more in the race" to stay with the big business of the datacenters of the firm of Jeff Bezos, although they avoid talking about times. Meanwhile, the province governed by Gerardo Morales moves his chips.Why JujuyJujuy is one of the most neglected regions of the country. However, it is carrying out very specific initiatives to become one of the great beacons of local innovation.In dialogue with iProUP, Carlos Alfonso, Secretary of Modernization of that province, reveals that they are working to become "the datacenter pole of Argentina". In fact, it has a brotherhood agreement with the Chinese province of Guizhou, which is characterized by having developed the big data industry in that country."We had the opportunity to travel with members of the public and private sectors, and we formed the Big Data committee of Jujuy, which is made up of three representatives of the State and three companies: Nubimetrics, USound and El Cuatro," the official added.They toured companies that develop this technology and, after the trip, they have pointed to the development of three foci of investment in Argentina: infrastructure (datacenters), human resources and software. "If Amazon is putting its eyes on us, it is the product of a series of factors," says the official."In the city of La Quiaca we have a free zone of 90 hectares near to be inaugurated, moderate thermal amplitude and a temperature that is not very high, it is also an anti-seismic zone, we are far from the sea and we have renewable energy".To this is added the draft Law on Investment Promotion, an initiative whose purpose is to grant tax benefits to the firms of the technological branch that are installed in the province.Regarding the arrival of Amazon to Jujuy, the owner of the portfolio confirms that Morales has already held meetings in the United States with executives of that company and confirms that "there was an approach between the parties."A story with several chaptersSince the beginning of the Macrista management, the landing of Amazon was treated as a matter of maximum importance by the authorities of the Modernization area.The installation of the first Amazon Web Services (AWS) datacenter in the southern cone will be a real achievement for the country that manages to achieve it. At the local level, the approach has been constant, but up to now it has not been able to be translated into concrete disbursements.In mid-2017, Michael Punke, vice president of global public policy for AWS, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for one year with the then Ministry of Modernization.In fact, the firm helped train public officials in the use of tools for the cloud, supported the development of businesses based on this technology in Argentina and assisted the Government in its ICT modernization objectives.It was an extremely important agreement for Cambiemos. So much so that Macri himself was present at the ceremony. The trip of Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Tuttle, to Patagonia did nothing but increase the expectation, even if it was only for vacation reasons.In this context, the subsequent and surprising election of Colombia as the first South American country to receive direct investment from AWS fell like a cold water bucket. Neither Argentina nor Chile could get that honor, despite playing in the previous as the favorites.The "operative seduction" of Argentina and Chile is not only because of what Amazon represents as a brand. The package also includes US $ 1 billion for the construction of its data center and hundreds of quality jobs driven by digital transformation.Likewise, the arrival of a business with these characteristics would mean a real push for the national technological industry in the current government management.The recently approved Law of Knowledge Economy, promoted by the Government and endorsed by the companies of the sector, is a fundamental point of support when it comes to being able to specify an arrival of these characteristics.The project aims to give a strong boost to the technological, scientific and creative branches, which will be vital for what is to come. That is, in view of a future dominated by automation where Amazon, of course, will have a leading role.Among the benefits contemplated by the Law, the following points stand out:- The granting of "fiscal stability" for companies that register in a special register- The non-increase of the tax burden for the duration of the regime (includes fees, tariffs and even provincial taxes)- The reduction of social charges: for each employee the firms will have a deduction equivalent to the non-taxable minimum (today at $ 17,500)- A "one-time transferable tax credit, equivalent to 1.6 times the amount of employer contributions", to reduce Profits and VAT- This bonus will be higher if the employees have a doctorate: twice the amount of the employer's contributions, during 24 months since contracting- The companies reached by Profit will have a reduced rate of 15% if they keep the staff and will not be reached by withholdings or VAT payments"The knowledge industry is not only a sector that has the potential to grow but, fundamentally, to improve the productivity of the rest of the economy," assures iProUP Mariano Mayer, Secretary of Entrepreneurs and SMEs of the Nation.The official stresses that the goal is to "double the number of people working in this key branch of activity."What is pendingFor Marina Rosso Siverino, President of the Commission of Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Argentine Center of Engineers (CAI) and specialist in telecommunications, Amazon Web Services (AWS) can provide "a strong competition of services in the cloud with very high standards of quality that, until now in Argentina, there is not "."The datacenters of the market continue with traditional services, it is an operator that has a very good customer care service, something that in our country is regular in all segments," he adds.Although the country is a candidate to receive the multimillion dollar investment of the Seattle company, the October presidential elections are a brake. A high source close to Amazon Web Services tells iProUP that the elections slow down the firm's expansion plans.According to Alfonso, "Jujuy is in a geographical non-seismic center, with relative short distance to 3 independent fiber roads -Chile, Brazil, Argentina-, has a good climate, and a strong focus on renewable energies and Big Data".Does it mean that Argentina has almost assured the arrival of the giant? Not necessarily, but, at least on paper, the northern province has much of what is needed to be sharp when it comes to a possible expansion of AWS in the Southern Cone.The other competitor for Jeff Bezos dollars is Chile. The problem of the trans-Andean nation is the greater probability of earthquakes (a point very taken into account) and, another important aspect, its relative weakness in the provision of electricity supply.In this sense, Jujuy, by betting on the generation of renewable energy, can better deal with this item. "Of the costs, the main driver of a datacenter is electricity, and knowing how to handle it both from the technical and economic point of view is essential," says the Jujuy official.Of course not everything is the color of roses for the country. Siverino stresses that in the case of long-term investments, "Argentina's problem is that it does not come out of its crisis cycle, and for any company that collects in pesos and its inputs are in dollars, it is uphill."For now, there is no announcement, but a concrete basis: The Amazon project is still standing and Jujuy, the big "cap", took the lead to keep a multi-million dollar business and, of course, a great generator of jobs.