Microsoft announced today the largest single investment made in Brazil, including the amount of R$ 14,7 billion in cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) over three years. This initiative aims to promote the development of the AI ecosystem in Brazil, accelerating AI innovation in the country. Microsoft will also encourage the country's long-term competitive advantage, through the ConectAI program, in which it will provide training for 5 million people in AI skills over the next three years, creating long-term benefits for the Brazilian economy
Microsoft will expand its cloud and AI infrastructure across several datacenter campuses in the state of São Paulo. This new investment is aligned with the company's goal of supporting innovation and increasing the country's competitiveness, and is aligned with the government's vision of improving the efficiency of the public sector, national resilience and promote sustainability. Microsoft already has two Azure regions locally: Brazil South, based in the state of São Paulo and was announced in 2014, and the Southeast Brazil, based in Rio de Janeiro, released in 2020
"We are committed to supporting the transformation of AI in Brazil and ensuring that it benefits everyone", said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Our new investments in cloud infrastructure and AI and in training in Brazil will help ensure broad access to both technology and the skills necessary for the population and the Brazilian economy to thrive in this era of AI".”
ConectAI: empowering 5 million Brazilians with essential AI skills
Microsoft is launching ConectAI, a program that will provide AI skills training for 5 million people, with the aim of addressing the workforce change driven by AI and ensuring an equitable future for all, offering fluency in large-scale AI
A study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by the consulting firm FrontierView, in 2020, shows that, if Brazil adopts AI massively it could add 4,2 percentage points to the country's GDP growth by 2030. Even with minimal adoption of AI, Brazil could see an increase of 1,8 percentage points in GDP in the same period
"The announcement today demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to supporting economic and inclusive growth in Brazil". We are empowering individuals, companies and society to increase innovation and democratize the use of AI through skill development, knowledge sharing and access to cutting-edge technology and digital infrastructure, "while we meet our sustainability goals", says Tania Cosentino, president of Microsoft Brazil
The ConectAI program makes this premise tangible and will support the Brazilian population in reaping the benefits of adopting AI. The company is collaborating with 26 organizations, including governments, educational institutions and NGOs to achieve this goal. Microsoft has closed a new collaboration with SENAI São Paulo (National Service for Industrial Learning) to offer courses in AI fluency and training for the AI-900 certification for its students, teachers and the community
Furthermore, Microsoft will continue its collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) to provide training in AI skills through the "Worker's School 4" program.0”, that aims to provide access to digital skills so that Brazilians can stay updated on the technologies demanded by the job market. "The MTE has been working with Microsoft for years to build training in digital skills to support the Brazilian population in becoming proficient in current technologies". The new initiatives we are developing together to disseminate knowledge in artificial intelligence will be essential to promote the inclusion of people in the digital environment and generate more employment opportunities in the country, supporting the economic and professional growth of citizens, says Luiz Marinho, Minister of Labor and Employment
Furthermore, a Microsoft, in collaboration with Nova Escola, a non-profit organization focused on supporting Brazilian teachers, will provide AI skills training for educators. This initiative aims to equip teachers with resources to simplify lesson preparation and improve public education through innovative resources and training. To reach young people, Microsoft is partnering with UNICEF to bring AI skills to the 1MiO program, with the purpose of reducing the number of people between 18 and 25 years old who are neither studying nor working. Another important audience is government workers. To empower public servants to be more productive and, with that, improve the services provided to society, Microsoft is partnering with ENAP to provide both fluency and productivity content as well as technical skills to foster technological innovation in the public sector
In addition to the initiatives carried out through the 26 partners of ConectAI, Brazilians will also have a Microsoft websitehttps://aka.ms/conectAIin which they will be able to access more than 130 learning paths for free. These tracks will cover topics such as digital literacy, productivity, AI and technical training. These courses cover topics such as Microsoft 365 applications, the history of AI, generative artificial intelligence, engenharia de prompt (comandos/perguntas para a IA) e como usar o Microsoft Copilot. More technical courses will also be made available, focusing on providing knowledge about cloud AI fundamentals
Microsoft has already helped many Brazilians acquire digital skills through the programs that are part of the Mais Brasil plan, from ConectAI (formerly Conecta+) and partner initiatives. From January 2021 to August 2024, we impact 12,7 million people to learn more about digital literacy and productivity, and we trained and certified 2,8 million people in digital skills
Fostering the AI Ecosystem in Brazil
To support the growing demand for cloud and AI services in Brazil, we have been investing in the Brazilian AI ecosystem, including developers and startups. Today, the GitHub developer community in Brazil has more than 4,8 million people. The country is the sixth largest community of developers, contributing to generative AI projects, it is expected that Brazil will surpass China in the number of developers by 2028, becoming the third largest population of these professionals globally. Microsoft is also supporting the local startup community, offering over USD 9 million in Azure credits for about 3.300 local startups since July 2023 through the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
Furthermore, the company has an ecosystem of 25.000 partners and hundreds of thousands of customers in Brazil. Microsoft empowers Brazilian organizations to benefit from the power of AI. This investment in infrastructure and skills development aims to foster innovation in established companies, new ventures and in the renowned Brazilian startup community, and also addresses the critical need for training in AI skills
"The use of generative AI combined with a responsible AI discipline enabled the delivery of a unique cloud-native solution for the digital service of our clients with resolution rates above 90%", comment Rafael Cavalcanti, Chief Data and Analytics Officer of Bradesco
Driving a sustainable infrastructure, secure and high-level in cloud and AI
Sustainability is essentially important to Microsoft and is reflected in our ambitious corporate goals to become a carbon negative company, positive in water and zero waste that protects ecosystems by 2030. At Microsoft, we design, we built and operate a cloud computing infrastructure covering the entire chain, from datacenters to servers and customized silicon. With this expansion, Microsoft's cloud will cover more than 60 data center regions globally. This creates unique opportunities to orchestrate work that enhances both performance and efficiency and sustainability
Microsoft continues to assess and act intensively to meet the sustainability needs and resources associated with infrastructure growth. Microsoft has adopted a pioneering approach in its planning, making long-term investments to bring more carbon-free electricity to the grids where it operates. Our Energy Purchase Agreements, or PPAs, are at the center of our approach. Today, we have contracted over 34 GW of renewable energy in 24 countries, marking progress towards accelerating renewable energy markets and supporting the global energy transition. We continue to advocate for the expansion of clean energy solutions worldwide
Furthermore, we continue with our goal of becoming Carbon Negative by 2030, being one of the largest buyers of carbon removal in the world. In the last fiscal year, Microsoft purchased tens of millions of tons of carbon removal, in a global portfolio of environmental initiatives, how reforestation, and solutions such as direct air capture andbiochar (wood charcoal)
In 2023, Microsoft signed a 15-year renewable energy contract with AES Brazil, for a wind generation project that started its commercial operations in July 2024. The energy will be generated by the Cajuína Wind Complex, located in Rio Grande do Norte, approximately 130 kilometers from Natal. The project will be led by a team of operations and maintenance (O&M) composed entirely of women. AES Brasil is the first company in the country to have a wind farm composed of and maintained locally by a female team
In alignment with the goal of becoming Carbon Negative by 2030, Microsoft signed an agreement with the Amazon Reforestation Fund operated by a Brazilian startup called Mombak, to provide high-quality carbon removal through native biodiversity reforestation projects in the Amazon, totaling up to 1,5 million tons of carbon removal by 2032 from millions of trees planted. Based on this agreement, the World Bank issued a results bondoutcome bond, linked to the Amazon Reforestation of USD 225M – the first title of this type – to encourage more investments in Mombak's reforestation efforts. A second agreement with another Brazilian company, the re.green, forecasts the delivery of approximately 3 million carbon removal credits over a period of 15 years through forest restoration, using exclusively native species, including the planting of at least 10 million seedlings. The estimate of this purchase agreement is to support the restoration of more than 16.000 hectares throughout Brazil, including the states of Maranhão and Bahia
Finally, an agreement with BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (TIG) plans to provide Microsoft with up to 8 million nature-based carbon removal credits by 2043 – the largest corporate carbon removal purchase announced to date. The credits will be made available through the USD 1 billion reforestation and restoration strategy of the TIG in Latin America, in which Conservation International acts as an impact consultant to help TIG achieve positive results in the environmental spheres, climatic and social. This strategy focuses on conservation, restoration and planting in deforested and degraded areas in selected regions of Latin America, including the Brazilian Cerrado biome, one of the most biodiverse seasonally dry ecosystems in the world
The infrastructure and cloud services suite of Microsoft are built from development to protect data centers against unauthorized access, environmental risks and other physical threats. The company uses a resilient architecture, business continuity plans and disaster recovery steps to keep services available and meet high standards of security and privacy. Microsoft follows industry excellence standards in the implementation of Responsible AI standards and in the creation of the AI Assurance Program, that aims to promote the best practices for the use of this technology
Promoting responsible advancement and community engagement
This infrastructure will operate under theMicrosoft AI Access Principles, that were created to foster innovation and healthy competition within the rapidly growing AI economy. They reflect the growing role and responsibility of Microsoft as a leader in AI and the company's commitment to making investments, form partnerships and create programs that ensure broad access to your AI technology, empowering organizations and individuals to develop and use AI in a way that benefits society as a whole
Furthermore, Microsoft strengthens itsGlobal Community Commitmentof Datacenters, that recognizes its commitment to being a responsible company in Brazil and in the places where it operates, positively contributing to local economies and ecosystems while advancing global digital transformation. Microsoft will work closely with local governments, citizens and decision-makers to ensure that their infrastructure is a resource that contributes to a sustainable future and advances the prosperity and well-being of the community
