Next Silicon Valley? Brazil’s government pledges historic funding for AI program

In 2024 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a comprehensive AI initiative called the “Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan” (PBIA), which will look to invest $4 billion in artificial intelligence programs by 2028.

Under the slogan “AI for the Good of All”, the initiative is one of the president’s priorities at the G20, as he looks to position the country as a leader in AI.

Said Luciana Santos, Brazil’s Minister of Science and Technology, “Through technology, we want to ensure benefits to our country and our people, and this is only possible if public authorities, civil society, and the private sector work together. The AI plan is the first result of this.”

Santos highlighted Brazil’s efforts to leverage the technology to combat inequalities and boost environmental protection.

“This plan is bold and viable, robust and feasible, carried out with public investment with sovereignty and autonomy to make our country’s intelligence count,” added the Minister.

The investment in AI will include the upgrading of the Santos Dumont supercomputer, in addition to creating a national network of AI centers across the country.

Part of the role of these centers would be to help educate the general public and businesses about AI technology.

Speaking to Entrepreneur Magazine, Ranjit Tinaikar, CEO of Ness Digital Engineering, spoke on the rise of AI centers across the globe.

Said the head of Ness, a digital engineering firm with 11 innovation hubs across the globe, discussing the opportunities for tech ecosystems across the globe and the role of the government: “If you were to compare Boston, which used to be the tech center for America in the sixties and seventies, before being supplanted by Silicon Valley as a tech hub; why did that revolution happen?”

Continued the executive, “It required four things: First, it needed an institution like Stanford, which was truly interested in primary research. Primary research, not commercial. Second, it needed the VC and the capital markets around it to fund those ideas and commercialize it by working with the universities.”

“Third, you can’t do that unless you have a local talent pool that actually sits in that ecosystem and takes those ideas to market. Fourth, you need government support for allowing people to take the risks.”

“The government does have a role to play in making these AI centers successful, which is the fourth point.”

The company has reason to be bullish on innovation centers. Ness Czech, a part of Ness Digital Engineering, announced in August it was accelerating the establishment of an international innovation center based in Central and Eastern Europe. The initiative followed Ness Digital Engineering’s recent acquisition of Intricity, an enterprise that specializes in data strategy consulting.

Concluded the executive, “I think AI Centers are a very valid idea. And I completely understand the goals of becoming the R&D hub for driving AI innovation.”

At the same time, the executive cautioned, “if you don’t have purely research oriented, high end research institutions, a talent hub, and a capital market that actually funds it, then in the long term it’s not sustainable.”

Featured photo of Stanford University

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