Brazil is moving to reduce its dependence on imported AI hardware through a publicly funded project to develop domestically designed processors and high-performance computing technology using the open RISC-V architecture.
The Renato Archer Information Technology Center (CTI) has joined the Computational Node and Artificial Intelligence Accelerator in RISC-V project, launched at the Eldorado Institute in Campinas.
Led by Eldorado and the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), the initiative targets a strategic weakness in Brazil’s technology industry: dependence on foreign semiconductor suppliers, associated with an annual trade deficit of US$8 billion.
RISC-V is an open processor architecture that enables developers to design and customise chips without royalty payments or exposure to commercial licensing restrictions.
CTI will help develop a matrix accelerator, combining multiple chips on a board to execute the complex mathematical calculations required for AI workloads.
Its responsibilities include digital circuit design, prototype production and component qualification. Testing will assess performance under different temperatures and electronic vibration to establish compliance with national and international standards.
The objective extends beyond laboratory research to producing commercially viable technology for future industrial applications.
The Brazilian government has committed R$50 million in initial first-year funding through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), supported by public financing institutions and funds including FNDCT, BNDES and FINEP.
Another R$75 million is planned for subsequent stages. The initiative forms part of the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan, which seeks to expand domestic AI capabilities and encourage safe, ethical deployment.
“It is necessary to understand that this type of technology is equivalent to electrical energy: it will produce a substantial change in the world,” said Unicamp Professor Guido Araújo at the launch.
The project enters a global computing market dominated by suppliers including Nvidia, where access to advanced processors has become an increasingly important economic and geopolitical concern.
However, Brazil is not seeking complete semiconductor self-sufficiency.
MCTI semiconductor technology coordinator Alessandro Campos described control of the entire production chain as an “economic utopia”. Instead, the government wants to establish capabilities in critical technological niches and strengthen Brazil’s position within international supply chains.
The accelerator will target specialised AI applications rather than the training of general-purpose large language models and multifunctional agents.
Potential applications include image generation and climate data processing, with domestic demand identified among major Brazilian companies including Petrobras and Embraer.
The longer-term ambition is to create exportable computing products, giving Brazil a greater role in international semiconductor and AI markets.
The initiative also strengthens Campinas as a centre for advanced computing research and semiconductor development.
According to CTI Director Juliana Daguano, “Campinas’ ecosystem has a much greater capacity than just hosting data centers; we are going to develop our own supercomputer.”
Eldorado Superintendent José Bertuzzo acknowledged the difficulty of the undertaking but pointed to previous achievements as evidence of the consortium’s capabilities.
“It’s a huge challenge, but the good thing is that we’ve already made some deliveries that show we have the capacity. There’s a lot of excitement ahead, but we’ll get there.”
