Staff ReportUS technology giant Microsoft has announced that it will invest $100 million to set up an advanced research center in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
The research center is said to be one of the four such offices in the world and the first in Latin America.
Microsoft has also planned to make use of Brazil’s human talent to ‘develop new search technology, according to a report from Reuters. This is just another large investment by the American computer giant. Microsoft has already invested five million dollars to set up an R&D center in Brazil’s biggest city – Sao Paulo.
The announcement from Microsoft underscores that Brazil is rising as a technology hotspot in Latin America. Global tech giants like Lenovo, Foxconn and Cisco have recently announced their plan to invest in Brazil. And IBM and GE already have research centers in the country.
Microsoft’s research center will spring up in Rio’s downtown port district, the area which has been undergoing rapid renovation in preparation for 2016 Olympic Games.
“Long home to headquarters of oil and mining companies, Rio has gained attention recently for its nascent internet startup scene, offering entrepreneurs access to sun, sand and seed capital without the traffic jams, pollution and other hassles of sprawling Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital,” says Reuters.
Tech companies have stepped up investment in Brazil after the President Dilma Rousseff announced incentives in her attempt to generate more jobs in Brazil’s tech sector. Microsoft’s investment also reinforces Rio’s growing attractiveness for major multinational companies.
All the money required for the research center will invested by the American company, reported Agência Estado.
Microsoft, according to Agência, believes that Brazil has enough skilled human resources.
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