Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in New York to discuss a potential multibillion-dollar data center investment in Brazil.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has been in negotiations since April to build a large data center campus in Ceará, a northeastern Brazilian state with access to renewable energy and major submarine internet cables.

Brazilian officials estimate the investment could reach R$55 billion (US$10.3 billion), making it one of the largest technology infrastructure projects proposed in the country.

The proposed site, the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex, faces opposition from Indigenous groups and environmental organizations, who cite concerns over land rights and water usage.

Authorities in Ceará say the necessary permits comply with environmental standards and that the land is not formally recognized as Indigenous territory.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

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