With energy to spare and billions in investments, Rio aims to become an AI hub in Latin America
oglobo27 August 2026 at 07:03
Rio de Janeiro is positioning itself to become one of the main hubs for artificial intelligence and digital economy in Latin America, according to the Invest.Rio agency. The city has an abundance of clean energy, infrastructure for data centers, and partnerships with major private sector companies to attract billion-dollar investments. Invest.Rio projects that only 15 to 20 global cities will lead the data-intensive and AI digital economy, with only two or three in South America, and the goal is to make Rio one of them. Projects like Rio AI City and BNDES funding, such as the R$232 million for Capital Modular, exemplify the sector's growth movement in the city.
Portuguese airports recorded a 2.5% increase in passenger numbers through July, with July showing growth of 2.1%. This positive performance contrasts with the declines seen in other countries, such as the United States (-9.9%), Cambodia (-9.5%) and Japan (-5.8%), according to Vinci data.
Meo saw its revenues grow 0.3% to 1.297 million euros in the first half, although in the second quarter it recorded a drop in billing of 4.6% to 648 million euros, reflecting competitive pressure in the consumer segment, offset by the expansion of the energy and business services business. The company highlighted the completion of the sale of 65% of Intelcia and the Covilhã Data Center as part of its portfolio optimization strategy. CEO Ana Figueiredo highlighted the company's "resilience" in a challenging period for the telecommunications sector.
Capital market rules are being changed again to adapt to new European directives and simplify investment. The new minimum threshold is set at 12 million euros, a significant increase compared to the eight million currently in force, representing an important change in the regulatory framework of the sector.
The CEO of Meo, Ana Figueiredo, states that the second quarter results confirm the company's resilience during one of the most challenging periods the telecommunications sector is experiencing.
