SECIHTI Celebrates First Anniversary Driving Mexico’s Tech Push

The Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI) celebrates its first year of operations, during which it coordinated critical infrastructure, electromobility, and semiconductor projects to strengthen technical autonomy in Mexico.

The transition toward a centralized scientific policy responds to the requirement to articulate the capabilities of public universities and research centers with national industrial objectives. Rosaura Ruiz, Minister of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation, manages a framework that prioritizes the application of scientific knowledge in infrastructure and advanced manufacturing solutions. Ruiz says that the current administration focuses on translating knowledge into welfare, social justice, and shared prosperity. This vision integrates basic science with goals of technological sovereignty and sectoral competitiveness.

A New Model for Scientific Governance

SECIHTI will hit its first anniversary on Jan. 1, 2026, marking a shift from fragmented research schemes to state leadership oriented toward strategic goals. This structural change occurs within a global environment of intensive technological competition where control over computing capacity, energy transition, and microelectronics supply chains defines the economic positioning of nations.

During 2025, the ministry focused on four primary verticals: high-performance computing infrastructure, electric mobility, semiconductor design, and the expansion of higher education enrollment. These pillars seek to reduce foreign technological dependence and foster a specialized human capital base capable of meeting the demands of Industry 4.0.

Infrastructure Projects

The Coatlicue project represents the most significant investment in digital infrastructure by the state, with an allocated public investment of MX$6 billion. This supercomputer, which will undergo a 24-month implementation phase starting in 2026, is projected to be the most powerful public supercomputing infrastructure in Latin America.

Developed in coordination with the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, its technical function involves processing large volumes of data for critical applications. These include:

• Climate modeling and prediction of extreme weather events

• Simulation for national energy planning

• Data analysis for public health and security

• Detection of administrative irregularities to combat corruption.

To strengthen this ecosystem, the government established an agreement with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to train Mexican specialists. Coatlicue will integrate into the National Supercomputing Cluster to enhance the scientific environment.

Electromobility and Microelectronics: Olinia and Kutsari

In the industrial sector, the Olinia project focuses on the national design of affordable EVs. The technical development involves inter-institutional collaboration among the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and various public research centers. Recent advances center on vehicle architecture and the configuration of battery modules to establish Mexican intellectual property in sustainable mobility.

Parallel to this, the Kutsari strategy addresses vulnerabilities in the electronic component supply chain through the creation of the National Semiconductor Design Center. With sites in Puebla, Jalisco, and Sonora, the project seeks to integrate the silicon value chain. Specialized institutions such as the Center for Research and Advanced Studies and the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics participate to develop local chip design capabilities.

Human Capital and the National Research System

SECIHTI reports a 62.4% increase in scholarships for study abroad, raising the figure from 2,221 to 3,607 during the previous year. Within the domestic scope, the ministry manages 98,223 graduate scholarships, of which 2,467 are new. The National System of Researchers grew 2.3% to reach 44,808 members.

Regarding higher education, the Rosario Castellanos National University now serves more than 76,000 students. The expansion plan includes opening academic units in all 32 states, contributing to the presidential goal of creating 330,000 new spaces in public universities.

Beyond large-scale technological projects, SECIHTI coordinates 1,866 research projects distributed across calls for basic science and humanities. The priority action lines for 2026 include:

• Development of solid biofuels for rural communities

• Industrial policy strategies to strengthen national productive capacities

• Preservation of indigenous languages and documentation of local histories.