ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, is building its largest data center complex outside China at the Pecém port complex in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. The total investment is about 200 billion reais (roughly $39 billion–$40 billion), with operations targeted to begin in 2027.
July 2026 · ByteDance / TikTok
A ~$39 Billion Bet on Brazil: ByteDance's Largest Data Center Outside China
At Ceará's Pecém port free-trade zone, TikTok's parent is building a wind-powered AI and data hub — starting at 200MW and scaling toward 1GW — as a low-latency gateway for markets beyond the West and China.
~$39B
Total investment (~200bn reais), completing around 2035
1 GW
Target capacity, from a 200MW first phase
100%
Wind-powered, via a 20-year ~$2B power deal
17+
Submarine cables landing near the site
Dwarfing the region's usual campuses
Typical large Latin American data centers run 50–100MW. ByteDance's single project targets 1GW — roughly 10× a 100MW campus.
~100MW
Typical large
1 GW
ByteDance
From decision to full build-out
Dec 2025
Project pushed forward
→
Early 2026
Construction begins
→
Q3 2027
First data hall goes live
→
~2035
Full investment complete
Why Brazil wins it
Abundant northeastern wind energy
Dense submarine-cable connectivity
ZPE free-trade tax incentives
Low-latency for transatlantic users
Locks in compute and energy costs long-term
The pushback
Anacé Indigenous legal action over traditional lands
Heavy water & power use in a drought-prone region
Gaps in environmental licensing
Security concerns over Chinese-controlled infrastructure
Built and owned by Omnia (Pátria Investments), leased long-term to ByteDance.
Not yet operational — the central question is balancing global AI infrastructure demand against local environmental limits and data-sovereignty interests.
Continue reading The rest of this article is for AI News Blitz readers. Choose an option below to keep reading.
Already purchased? Sign in ✓ Signed in — this article isn’t included in your current plan.Unlocking the full article…