São Paulo, Brazil – Brazil’s government has unveiled a comprehensive plan to develop fully domestically grown artificial intelligence (AI) models for use in various public administration sectors. The initiative aims to ensure technological autonomy, increase the competitiveness of the Brazilian economy and promote the responsible use of AI.
The project calls for an investment of US$23 billion ($4 billion) by 2028, with most of the funding provided by the state. A key component of this initiative is the upgrade of the Santos Dumont supercomputer, operated by the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC) in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. Once upgraded, the machine is expected to rank among the top five in the world in terms of processing capacity, supporting a wide range of research needs.
Entitled “The Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan” (PBIA), the program is structured in two phases of operation. The first phase will implement 54 actions with immediate impact, integrating AI into the modernization of public services across sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, defense and environmental protection.
During the launch ceremony on July 30 in Brasília, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized Brazil’s independence on the ground.
“Why can’t a country of 200 million people, a 524-year-old nation with a globally respected intellectual foundation, create its own mechanisms instead of relying on AI from China, the United States, South Korea or Japan? Why can’t we have our own?” – asked Lula rhetorically.
In healthcare, the plan includes deploying autonomous disinfecting robots in hospitals, developing platforms to increase diagnostic accuracy and speed, using AI to manage teleconsultations and updating digital medical data, and optimizing drug procurement.
(Courtesy Ricardo Stuckert/President of Brazil)
In agriculture, the initiative aims to provide farmers and ranchers with substantial technological assistance. This includes more accurate climate and meteorological data, AI tools with computer vision to monitor livestock to reduce animal stress, and chatbot services to answer farmers’ questions, among other innovations.
For environmental protection, the government aims to use AI to predict extreme weather events and prevent natural disasters, protect the Amazon, and map tree biome locations for better species monitoring.
The second phase of the plan focuses on long-term structural actions, such as upgrading the Santos Dumont supercomputer, developing high-performance artificial intelligence processors domestically, creating infrastructure, training and qualifying professionals, and creating a national network of centers of excellence. AI excellence to promote research. all over the country.
An important concern is ensuring a sustainable and renewable energy supply for this technological advancement. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2022 Brazil’s data centers consumed 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy, a figure that could reach 1,050 TWh globally by 2026 due to the growing demands of AI technologies. That would be twice Brazil’s total energy consumption in a year.
In response, PBIA aims to expand the country’s renewable energy matrix, including hydropower. Over the next four years, 42 projects will seek solutions to support AI advancements, with a budget allocation of 500 million reais (US$88 million).
