Overview
- ByteDance’s TikTok committed more than 200 billion reais (about $38 billion) for a data center near the Pecém industrial port in Ceará, partnering with developer Omnia and renewable provider Casa dos Ventos.
- The facility will run entirely on wind energy from newly built farms and avoid the local grid, with closed-loop water cooling, and TikTok projects operations to begin in 2027.
- The Pecém location was selected for its proximity to Fortaleza’s submarine cable hub, which provides shorter routes to Europe and Africa.
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the announcement, which aligns with a September provisional measure offering incentives such as tax relief on imported data-center equipment.
- The expansion deepens TikTok’s ties to Brazil as U.S. legal pressure on its U.S. operations continues, and Anacé Indigenous groups contest the siting while TikTok and partners say they comply with regulations.