Microsoft Makes its Biggest $2.7 Billion Investment in Brazil

Microsoft has made a monumental investment of 14.7 billion reais (about $2.70 billion) in Brazil, aiming to enhance its cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Microsoft has no shortage of funds and it showed this on Thursday this week when it guaranteed an investment of 14.7 billion reais in Brazil. Reais is the currency of Brazil and that number translates to $2.70 billion. This investment will occur over three years and its aim is to systematically improve Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence in what is Latin America’s biggest economy.

While this investment is huge, number-wise, Microsoft has made several such investments in the past. Why is this one so important that it deserves an article to itself? Well, apart from being the most money the company has ever poured into Brazil, it will lead to the adoption of AI on an unprecedented scale. The statistics say it could lead to as much as a 4.2 percentage point increase in the country’s economic growth by the end of this decade.

But this is not a solo game. In 2020, the “Microsoft Mais Brasil” program was launched by the company. It’s central objective was to strengthen its long-term commitment to Brazil in terms of capacity and infrastructure building.

Microsoft Chief Executive, Satya Nadella said, “We are committed to supporting the AI ​​transformation in Brazil and ensuring it benefits everyone.” The plan is to expand the cloud and AI infrastructure via multiple datacenters in Sao Paulo state. Additionally, AI training will be offered to an estimated 5 million people over the next three years.

The Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, said that this initiative evidences the fact the country has the potential to become a global leader in AI. Also, he placed importance on the abundant renewable energy supply available in Brazil that could power datacenters.