The Brazilian Government announced on Thursday an investment package of 2.2 billion reais (375.7 million euros) to expand the national artificial intelligence infrastructure, including a new supercomputer and cloud storage.
© Lusa
21/08/2026
by
Manuel Marçal
As measures are part of the Brazilian Plan of Artificial Intelligence (PBIA), which provides for 23 billion reais (EUR 4.62 billion) investments between 2024 and 2028.
According to the Brazilian government, the plan seeks to increase processing capacity and reduce dependence on foreign technological infrastructure.
One of the main initiatives will be the acquisition of a supercomputer, with an estimated investment of about one billion reais (165 million euros), which is expected to reach 7,200 petaflops and be among the ten largest machines in the world in AI processing capacity.
The equipment should be installed at the Augusto Severo Technological Park, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, beginning operations scheduled for the end of 2027 and capacity for companies, universities, scientific institutions and governments.
Another front provides for a supercomputer infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro, in a partnership of the National Education and Research Network with the Chinese Huawei and iFlytek, with investments of 1,276 billion reais (210.66 million euros) over five years.
“The initiative will expand the processing capacity available in the country, and provides for technology transfer, research and development partnerships, professional training and development of a sovereign software stack,” says a Brazilian government statement.
The Brazilian Government also announced the structuring of a ‘Brazilian Cloud’, in a public-private partnership aimed at creating a national alternative for data storage and processing, reducing dependence on large foreign suppliers and stimulating Brazilian companies.
During the announcement of investments, Brazilian President Lula da Silva stated that the goal is to place Brazil in the global dispute of the artificial intelligence market.
“Today, the United States has 65% of this whole artificial intelligence thing. China must have about 15 or 20% (...) because we want to tell the world that neither Chinese nor American is better than us. We will enter this market ", declared.
Lula also said that other Brazilian states also fought to host the supercomputer, but opted for Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast of the country, for regional inequality criteria.