Kirk LaughlinSANTIAGO, CHILE — Chilean IT companies announced US$3.5 billion in IT revenue in 2010, an 18.5 percent growth over the previous year and 1.7 percent of the total economy. The Chilean government continues to invest in IT as part of its plan to grow the overall economy and bring outside technology companies to the region. The country is also committed to increasing its services to other countries, particularly the U.S., through government-backed organizations like ProChile, Corfo, Start-Up Chile and Chile-IT. Additionally, Chile’s IT expertise continues to grow through its IT university graduates and workforce, cultivating high-tech education throughout Chile.
“The Chilean infrastructure has strengthened exponentially since last year — the economy is strong, and we are more and more being recognized as a leader in the global market,” said Carlos Fernandez, CEO of Chile-IT. “With cultural similarities to the U.S., time-zone capability and a tech-savvy demographic, Chile is becoming a central IT hub for South America. The government is firmly committed to making the technology industry a priority and we are excited for the continuing growth of the industry in 2011 and beyond.”
With more than 500 IT companies, the country has become an international leader in Latin America for its technology resources and has shaped itself to be a prime market for multi-national companies. Significant highlights from 2010 include:
IT Company Imports: The Chilean government has invested in organizations in Chile, such as ProChile, Corfo, Start-Up Chile and Chile-IT to help grow the IT industry in Latin America and provide them with the resources they need to enter and expand within the U.S. Start-Up Chile, for example, is an organization that seeks to attract foreign entrepreneurs to Chile and aid the country in achieving its goal of becoming a global innovation hub.. Additionally, more than 60 multi-national companies including McAfee, Certifica (part of comScore) and Worleyparsons opened offices in Chile for business expansion.
IT Services Exports: Chile-IT, a government-backed association for the Chilean IT industry comprised of Chile’s top and most established technology companies, is tasked with expanding the IT expertise in Chile beyond its borders and into international markets, starting with the U.S. Since the organization’s founding in 2009, Chile-IT has been hard at work helping its member companies form partnerships with U.S. companies and partners. In total, Chile-IT and its member companies have generated $5M in U.S. sales alone in 2010.
High Tech Education: Chile takes great measures to cultivate its native IT community. The country’s university degrees in IT and number of IT students – currently 55,000 – have the highest growth rate against other education areas.
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