TikTok will invest more than 200 billion reais ($37.7 billion) to build a data centre in Brazil, marking its first such project in Latin America and deepening the company’s commitment to one of its fastest-growing markets.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Monica Guise, head of public policy at TikTok Brazil, during an event in Ceará attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The project will be developed in partnership with data-centre firm Omnia and renewable-energy producer Casa dos Ventos.
Located near the industrial port of Pecém in the northeastern state of Ceará, the new facility will operate entirely on clean energy sourced from regional wind parks, Guise said.
“This is a historic investment for the company in Brazil,” she noted. “It’s a key step that reflects the company’s commitment with Brazil, one of the most dynamic digital markets in the world.”
Brazil positioned as regional data infrastructure leader
Brazil is considered the region’s most attractive destination for large-scale data-center expansion due to its abundant renewable power, robust national grid and strong fibre-optic connectivity.
Pecém sits close to a major landing point for submarine internet cables in Fortaleza, offering one of the shortest digital routes linking Brazil to Europe and Africa — a strategic advantage for AI and cloud-computing workloads.
The investment aligns with President Lula’s broader ambition to make Brazil a regional powerhouse in artificial intelligence.
In September, he signed a provisional measure introducing incentives for data-centre construction, including tax-free imports of certain equipment.
“I’m convinced this data centre will be something extraordinary for the technological development of this country,” Lula said.
“It could serve as an example for other data centres in other parts of the country.”
TikTok moves ahead in Brazil as US outlook remains uncertain
The major investment comes at a sensitive time for TikTok globally.
While ByteDance is expanding in Brazil, the company has yet to reach a resolution with US authorities over the future of TikTok’s American business.
Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — signed last year by then-President Joe Biden — Beijing-based ByteDance has been ordered to divest TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban.
The initial deadline was January 2025, but President Donald Trump has granted multiple extensions as negotiations continue.
China signalled last month that it would cooperate with Washington to find a solution, but stopped short of endorsing Trump’s proposed deal that would spin off TikTok into a new, predominantly US-owned entity.
For now, TikTok’s expansion strategy is moving ahead abroad, with Brazil emerging as a central pillar of ByteDance’s long-term regional infrastructure plans.
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