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Brazilian technology production and the main trends for the future When talking about technology, our brains almost automatically think of flying cars, robots, and super-machines working in a futuristic environment. If we were to define a reference place for the word technology, there might be a dispute between Asia and the United States. Who would think that Brazil, our own country, could also feature prominently in this seemingly so distant technology production scenario? In this text, you will see how much Brazilian technology has developed in recent years. According to the results of the Tech Report 2019, a study conducted by the Observatory of the Catarinense Association of Technology (ACATE) in partnership with Neoway, the technology sector achieved a revenue of R$ 301.7 billion, corresponding to 4.4% of the national GDP. According to the StartupBase website, there are currently 12,836 startups in Brazil, across 607 cities. However, technology production has been concentrated in some specific regions and states, which are already transforming into the seven largest technology hubs in Brazil: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Pernambuco. READ ALSO: • Learn all about Computer Vision
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Technology in Brazil: is there a Brazilian Silicon Valley?
The prominence of these regions is so great that there is even a dispute for the title of Brazilian Silicon Valley (safeguarding the due proportions, of course). Either way, the numbers are impressive, and these hubs are increasingly solidifying themselves as exponent producers of technology made in Brazil. The state of São Paulo is notoriously the most populous state in Brazil, accounting for 22% of the country's population. It also holds the largest industrial production and the highest GDP of all states, with an economy superior to that of neighboring countries such as Argentina and Paraguay, giving rise to the nickname "locomotive of Brazil". Therefore, it is no surprise that the state has three municipalities that are significant reference regions in technological production and innovation. Below, you will see a list of the main technology production hubs in Brazil. Check it out!
São Paulo – SP
The homonymous capital, the largest city and main financial, corporate, and mercantile center of the country, is also synonymous with innovation and technological and scientific production. There is even Potato Valley, an "affectionate" nickname for Largo da Batata, located in the heart of the Pinheiros neighborhood, a noble area of the city, which currently houses 20 startups and 20 coworkings, revitalizing the area and bringing a complete infrastructure that includes bars, restaurants, and real estate developments.
Campinas – SP
Located 100km northwest of the capital, it features Unicamp (State University of Campinas), a benchmark in scientific production and an important research center, in addition to technological parks, industrial complexes, and incubators that make the city attractive to foreign investors. This is mainly because it houses more than 30 of the 100 largest technology companies in the world, in addition to CPQD (Research and Development Center in Information and Communication Technologies) and also thanks to the Sirius project, Brazil's new particle accelerator, recently considered the largest Brazilian science project of today.
São José dos Campos – SP
Located in the Paraíba Valley, it is home to ITA (Aeronautics Institute of Technology), the military institution of excellence and reference in the production of aerospace sciences in the country. Furthermore, the São José dos Campos Technology Park has already worked with aviation giants such as Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer, and has already received more than 1.9 billion reais in investment, aiming at advancing the production of more than 300 companies and educational and research institutions. Emerging as an important center for technological production, including high technology, is the state of Minas Gerais, with two cities that have been consolidating themselves as major exponents in this market:
Belo Horizonte – MG
In the southern zone of the capital of Minas Gerais lies the São Pedro neighborhood, with a profile similar to its neighboring districts, Santo Antônio and Savassi: mainly residential with a bustling nightlife. However, in recent years, the neighborhood's reality has changed significantly: there are more than 300 startups and cooperative environments, strongholds for talented youth with an eye for innovation and entrepreneurship. From there, São Pedro became BH Valley and, soon after, San Pedro Valley, a clear allusion to the American region in the south of San Francisco.
Santa Rita do Sapucaí – MG
In the south of Minas Gerais, the city of Santa Rita do Sapucaí has been a reference in the electronics field since the 1960s, when the first mid-level technical school of electronics in Latin America and INATEL (National Institute of Telecommunications), the first to offer engineering courses focusing on telecommunications, were founded. Currently, the municipality with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants promotes a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in schools from an early age, training qualified and specialized professionals. In this way, the “Electronics Valley” has more than 150 companies and produces various electronic items such as ankle monitors, voting machines, and trackers. Despite recent industrialization, the South region of Brazil also stands out, with 3 important technological hubs that are currently in full expansion and development, bringing national and international attention to their production:
Curitiba – PR
The capital of Paraná is also the most populous city in the southern region and recently took off in the field of technological innovation by developing the Vale do Pinhão project, an initiative by Mayor Rafael Greca to invest heavily in innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology to transform Curitiba into a smart city. In order for the project to get off the drawing board, cooperation was needed between universities, public and private institutions, investors, and large companies. Thus, Vale do Pinhão is, today, a major hub that trains an extremely qualified workforce and offers more efficient and specialized services and products.
Florianópolis – SC
Known as the Magic Island, the capital of Santa Catarina is famous for tourism. But in addition to the title of Magic Island, Floripa also holds the title of Silicon Island, mainly because it has the highest number of startups in Brazil relative to its population, even ahead of São Paulo. There are more than 900 companies that, together, generate about R$5.4 billion reals per year. This growth environment was made possible thanks to the union between the City Hall, the Santa Catarina Technology Association (ACATE), and excellent teaching and research institutions, such as the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).
Porto Alegre – RS
In Brazil's southernmost state, Porto Alegre recently drew the attention of the technological industry thanks to TECNOPUC, the scientific and technological park of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), considered the best private higher education institution in Brazil. There are 18,000 square meters of space conducive to interaction between giant companies in the technological field, such as Dell, Microsoft, HP, and Ubisoft, and medium and small enterprises, in addition to TECNOPUC Startups, an environment for stimulating and operationalizing startups. In contrast to the Brazilian Southeast and South, traditional regions holding the best socioeconomic and industrial indexes, a city in the Brazilian Northeast is also emerging as a strong technological production hub, surprising the market and changing stereotypes about the region.
Recife – PE
An internationally known destination for its beautiful beaches and a lively Carnival, the capital of Pernambuco has been attracting attention because of its new status as a technology producer in Brazil. Revitalizing the Recife Antigo neighborhood, Porto Digital is a technological park focused on information and communication technology and the creative economy. Founded in 2000, it is considered the best technological park in Brazil, according to the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (ANPROTEC) and, according to Business Week, one of the ten places in the world where the future is being thought out. There are more than 300 enterprises, including small, medium, and large companies, startups, research institutes, incubators, accelerators, and investment funds. With so many cities and people increasingly engaged in researching and producing technology, it is no surprise that Brazil is the second largest in medical technology production among emerging countries or that Brazilian agricultural technology is considered world-class. Furthermore, Brazil's production of high-tech items, such as the aeronautical/aerospace products, pharmaceuticals, high-precision instruments, hardware, and communication, audio, and video equipment sectors, has been growing in recent years, and the trend is to continue developing in other sectors beyond Industry 4.0.
Fabio Caraça
Fábio Caraça is the Chief Growth Officer at Pix Force. He leads Pix Force's transformation into a scalable SaaS operation, combining strategic vision, culture, and high-impact execution.
