The center will have support from the Brazilian government, but the lion’s share of funding will come from Microsoft. It’s unclear exactly what the center will do, such as develop products, train Brazilians, act as a research hub, or something else.
According to The Next Web, Microsoft also invested $5 million in its Sao Paulo outpost earlier this year but the Rio de Janeiro center is a far bigger project. The software giant also has tech centers in Germany, Israel, and Egypt.
Microsoft has been involved with Brazil for years. In 2008, it initiated a project that helped expand Internet cafes across the country giving more people access to the Web. It also added educational and job-training components to that project.
According to Agencia Estado, several other tech companies also have plans to open centers in Brazil, including a new research hub from Intel.