The Brazilian Federal Government announced an investment of R$ 2.3 billion designated for the development of a national infrastructure focused on artificial intelligence. This initiative is part of a new phase of the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan (PBIA) and was formalized during a ceremony held in Rio Grande do Norte, attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The outlined strategy foresees the use of resources in distinct projects involving corporations from both the United States and China. According to an official government statement released this Thursday (08/20), the main purpose is to ensure national autonomy over Brazilian data, whether generated by private entities or public services, thereby preventing excessive dependence on any single company, nation, or technology.
The PBIA, in its entirety, contemplates an investment of R$ 23 billion. The funds allocated to this new infrastructure will be provided by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) and will be released in stages over the coming years.
The government has organized the implementation of this strategy into different 'routes'. A little over half of the total amount, approximately R$ 1.3 billion, will be allocated to a supercomputing project based in Rio de Janeiro. This project will be carried out in collaboration with Chinese companies Huawei and iFlytek over a five-year period.
This technological structure is scheduled to begin operations in July 2027 and will focus on developing large language models (LLMs), creating AI applications for specific industrial segments, and qualifying about 3,000 professionals.
In another area of operation, the Federal Government will reserve R$ 1 billion, through a bidding process, to acquire a supercomputer that should be among the ten most powerful AI processing machines on the planet. The installation of this equipment will take place at the Augusto Severo Technology Park (PAX), located in the municipality of Macaíba, in Rio Grande do Norte. The administration of this resource will be under the responsibility of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and the National Laboratory of Scientific Computing (LNCC).
It is estimated that the bidding procedure will take between three and six months. The Reuters agency points out that the American company Nvidia has the highest chance of winning the competition. If there are no judicial challenges, the expectation is that the supercomputer will be operational within 12 to 18 months.
The equipment destined for Rio Grande do Norte will have a processing capacity of 7.2 thousand Petaflops. This represents an advance of almost twenty times when compared to Santos Dumont, the current Brazilian supercomputer located at LNCC in Petrópolis (RJ), which offers about 27 Petaflops.
In practice, this technical disparity translates into significant time savings. The new machine will be capable of training a large-scale language model, similar to GPT-4, in just one month. To perform the same task, the supercomputer located in the state of Rio de Janeiro would require two to three years.
This infrastructure will be accessible for governmental use, as well as for companies, universities, and institutions dedicated to scientific research.
The plan also includes a third long-term development path: a partnership with Spain focused on the open-source RISC-V architecture. Scheduled to be implemented within fifteen years, this project aims to position Brazil as a producer of essential semiconductors and components.
The government strategy also covers the conception of a national cloud computing service and ensuring that data storage occurs entirely within national territory. To safeguard the security and ethics of these technologies, the National Center for Algorithmic Transparency and Trustworthy AI has been established.
This new body, operated by the Applied Research Center in AI of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), will be responsible for auditing systems, measuring risks, mitigating biases, and establishing transparency methods. Furthermore, the core will support the implementation of public policies, such as the Digital ECA, without replacing the competent authorities responsible for oversight and the application of legal sanctions.