Within the framework of the “European Union–Brazil Investment Dialogue” project (a partnership between the Delegation of the European Union to Brazil, the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), and ApexBrasil), this fact sheet summarizes the structural, regulatory, and territorial conditions that are decisive for attracting data center investments in the country, with a focus on opportunities and challenges for European investors, as well as a critical perspective on Ceará as a natural platform for connectivity and digital exports.
The fact sheet identifies three competitive advantages for Brazil: (i) a favorable energy landscape — with a high share of renewables in the energy matrix; (ii) international connectivity — including direct Brazil–Europe routes and a growing network of submarine cables; and (iii) market potential — an investment pipeline in the country and significant room for the decentralization of digital workloads.
On the risk side, the document highlights higher operating costs, regulatory rigidity, and the need for legal predictability — an issue directly linked to the progress of the REDATA Provisional Measure (MP 1,318/25), which seeks to reduce the tax burden on CAPEX through sustainability-related commitments.
Ceará emerges as a strategic hub due to the convergence of connectivity, state backbone infrastructure, and port/industrial assets, offering a platform for digital export projects and for the decentralization of latency-sensitive workloads.
