Google Cloud, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., announced earlier this week that it has invested USD312.65 million in Brazil to aid technical infrastructure, while also announcing the opening of a new engineering centre and office in the country.
In a statement from Sao Paulo, the financial capital of Brazil, Google said that investments by Google Cloud are intended to help its customers diversify service portfolios, drive new business and extend their digital capabilities.
The company said that during the five-year period between 2017 and 2022, it had allocated an amount of almost USD312 million to improve Google Clouds’ technical infrastructure in the country.
The company also announced the launch of a new engineering center in Sao Paulo and a new Google Cloud office scheduled for 2023.
In a statement released in January, the company had announced that it will hire up to 200 engineers in Brazil during 2022, in an effort to step up its security, privacy and anti-abusive content technologies.
The new hiring initiative is set to double the number of engineers working out of Latin America’s largest country, and would involve a focus on local talent to develop products for the regional, as well as the global market.
Google to expand operations in Brazil
In a statement, Google said that the investment in the new engineering centre reflected the company’s plan to expand engineering operations in the country. This would be the second engineering centre set up by the company, which also has offices in Belo Horizonte since 2006.
The company’s investment plans for Brazil are set to heighten the competition between Google Could and Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS has existing operations in Brazil, and also announced a plan to increase its investments in data centres in Sao Paulo by USD195.4 million in 2020.
The company also announced plans to drive economic recovery following the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Quoting market data analysis from a consulting firm, the company said the use of its major platforms in Brazil generated USD19.4 billion in economic impact.
In its announcement, the company said that it aims to expand the use of its product Duplex, an AI-based technology that utilises natural voices on automated calls. This technology assists employees in updating business hours on listings in Google Maps.
The tech giant said it will expand its use of Duplex, an artificial intelligence-based technology that uses natural voices on automated calls so employees can easily update business hours listed on Google Maps.
To underscore its commitment to Brazil, the company announced that it will provide 500,000 scholarships for Google Career Certificates spread over the next four years. Recipients of the certificates will be able to enter fields such as data analysis and user-interface design.
The announcement by Google made no reference to the unpredictable regulatory climate in Brazil. The Central government, in the past, has regulated social media companies from deleting certain types of contacts, in addition to compelling companies that conduct business in Brazil to establish offices in the country. Brazil has also explored methods by which Big Tech companies are made to pay for news articles that they re-post.