AGP Executive Report

AI Infrastructure in Brazil: Alibaba Cloud launched its first Brazil cloud region, but 30MW–70MW of AI power is still being negotiated with data center providers, signaling demand growth alongside procurement bottlenecks. Banking & AI Agents: Brazil’s biggest banks met at Febraban Tech to discuss how AI agents will act on customers’ behalf, with security and inclusion as the core dilemma. Rare Earths Supply Chain: St George Mining is mapping a potential rare earths processing hub in Minas Gerais with Lima & Pergher, aiming for a Brazil-based mine-to-magnet pathway. Health in Brazil: Knight Therapeutics filed a supplemental submission to ANVISA for MINJUVI® (tafasitamab) in first-line diffuse large B-cell lymphoma/high-grade B-cell lymphoma under Project Orbis. Wildlife & Conservation: Costa Rica approved rules requiring wildlife crossings on roads that disrupt habitat connectivity, while ITV confirmed a new “World’s Wildest Cities” series featuring Rio’s urban wildlife. Science & Food: Synchrotron imaging research links soybean mineral profiles (like zinc and sulfur) to higher protein content.

Brazil Tech & AI Infrastructure: Alibaba Cloud launched its first South America data centres in Brazil, aiming to power local enterprises’ AI with “agentic AI services” and expanding its Latin America footprint after Mexico. Energy & Industry: Burckhardt Compression secured Brazil orders for six gas compressor packages for Petrobras’ Boaventura Energy Complex, supporting natural gas processing plus green hydrogen and biorefining plans. Cybersecurity & Defense: EDGE and the Brazilian Army are setting up a Cyber Defense COE in Latin America, signaling deeper regional capability building. Space/Science & Research: Brazil is moving toward its own AI supercomputer via a new tender, pushing domestic high-performance computing capacity. Digital Rights & Safety: Brazil sued chat platform Discord over alleged failures to protect child users, adding pressure on platforms operating in the country. Health & Public Policy: A global study using deliberative polling included Brazil and found broad public support for antimicrobial resistance policy proposals. Mobility Tech: Renault refreshed the 2027 Kwid in Brazil with a redesigned cabin featuring two screens and updated tech.

Rare Earth Supply Chain in Brazil: St George Mining teamed up with the State of Minas Gerais and Lima & Pergher to assess a Minas Gerais rare-earth processing centre, aiming to refine material from projects like Arax into feedstock for downstream magnet makers such as MagBras. Cybersecurity & Regulation: Brazil sued Discord for about $100m, alleging failures to protect children after a teen suicide tied to livestreaming; the case demands stronger safeguards and compensation. Defence Cyber Capacity: EDGE and the Brazilian Army will set up a Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Latin America under a government-industry-academia model. AI in Biotech: Aureka Biotechnologies’ AI antibody design model won a blinded, wet-lab validated international benchmark published in Nature Biotechnology. Tech Reliability: GitHub reported a short August 26 outage affecting services like Actions and Pages, with teams watching for recurring scaling strain. Agritech Competition: Chinese firms are ramping up in Brazil’s agricultural biotech seed market, with early pressure expected more on pricing and rollout speed than breakthroughs.

Aerospace & Defense Supply Chain: Mordor Intelligence projects the aerospace fasteners market will grow from $7.53B (2026) to $10.67B (2031), driven by aircraft production, fleet modernization, and lightweight/high-strength materials. Telecom Build-Out: A new forecast says the 5G infrastructure market could jump from $21.1B (2026) to $159.5B (2035) as operators expand small cells, core gear, and fiber backhaul for low-latency use cases. Cybersecurity (Brazil impact): SOCRadar reports AnonyMousKIT, a phishing-as-a-service that abuses Apple Lost Mode contact info to steal iPhone passcodes/2FA—calling out Brazil as the most targeted country in recovered call logs. Agri-Biotech in Brazil: BiomEdit is buying Folium Science Technology to bring a CRISPR-based guided biotics platform and a feed additive aimed at a Brazil launch in 2027. Sustainability & Industry: Brazil’s red seaweed aquaculture in Santa Catarina is turning Kappaphycus alvarezii into domestic biostimulants, aiming to cut reliance on imported seaweed inputs. Finance & Banking Tech: Dallas Fed research warns that tokenized deposits could reduce banks’ lending capacity by shrinking “deposit stickiness” and increasing liquidity volatility.

Data Privacy Crackdown: Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency fined ByteDance about $29.9m over TikTok’s handling of children’s data, including logged-out “guest” browsing, and ordered deletion plus a stronger youth-protection plan. AI & Copyright Defense: Brazilian ad professionals launched ShieldFont, free software that scrambles text for bots that scrape pages to train AI—aiming to protect creators’ content. Rare-Earth Supply Security: The U.S. Department of War announced a $750m investment tied to Serra Verde’s Pela Ema mine in Brazil to secure rare-earth inputs for magnets used in defense and advanced tech. Aviation Tech: Embraer’s Phenom 300EV earned triple certification (FAA, EASA, ANAC), including Garmin Emergency Autoland for pilot incapacitation scenarios. Wildlife & Roads: A Nat Geo project highlights how Brazil’s Cerrado/Pantanal highway expansion is killing giant anteaters and leaving orphaned pups, calling for better fencing and wildlife crossings. Sustainable Materials: Stanford researchers presented a plasma-based cement process that could make clinkers in seconds using electricity instead of fossil-fueled kilns. Tech in Brazil’s Events: Clear-Com and Savana Comunicações tested cellular intercom FreeSpeak Cell during Rio Carnival 2026, proving wide-area comms for broadcast teams.

AI & Telecom Infrastructure: Clear-Com tested a cellular intercom system (FreeSpeak Cell over 4G/5G) at Rio’s Sambadrome during Carnival 2026, exploring whether mobile networks can back up or replace dedicated RF gear in dense venues. Payments & Messaging: WhatsApp is building a dedicated Payments section for its iOS app, signaling possible expansion beyond current markets like Brazil and India (no launch date yet). Finance & Credit: Brazil’s Febraban Tech 2026 heard banks push for clearer fiscal-policy signals from presidential candidates; Central Bank chair Galípolo argued household debt growth was driven more by lending expansion than by high rates alone. Public Health & Climate: A large Brazil-based study links drought during pregnancy to higher preterm birth risk and, when drought persists, higher chances of babies being small for gestational age. Materials & Manufacturing: QuesTek announced a Niobium Suite for its ICMD platform, aiming to speed alloy design with support from CBMM. Aviation Safety: Embraer’s Phenom 300EV received certifications (ANAC/FAA/EASA) with Garmin Emergency Autoland, with deliveries expected from 2028. Agribusiness Exports: Brazil’s fruit exports rose 20% in H1 2026 to 619,000 tons, with new EU grape shipments under Mercosur-EU zero tariffs.

Rare-Earth Security Push: The U.S. Department of War is putting $750M behind a rare-earth supply deal tied to Brazil’s Serra Verde Pela Ema project, aiming to reduce dependence on China for magnets used in defense, robotics, data centers, and aerospace. Amazon Under Pressure: A new warning says the Amazon could face a radioactive future as strategic-mineral mining expands, with uranium and thorium showing up alongside key inputs for the energy transition and AI infrastructure. AI Meets Copyright: Brazil’s Folha sues Perplexity AI in São Paulo, demanding it stop using paywalled journalism to train and summarize content, with a fast court response ordered. Payments Tech in Brazil: Inter Pag (Banco Inter) partners with ACI Worldwide to modernize acquiring with fraud prevention, analytics, and orchestration for Brazil’s Pix-driven market. Public Safety Upgrade: Apple’s Emergency SOS Live Video is now available in Brazil via RapidSOS, letting emergency centers request live iPhone video during calls. Social Media Safety: New Zealand proposes an under-16 social media ban with fines and age-verification tools—part of a wider global push on youth online risk. Elections Planning: Brazil’s election court sets up climate monitoring for 2026 voting days, tracking El Niño-driven drought and heavy rains that could disrupt access.

Mercosur Digital Trade: Brazil has enacted the Mercosur Electronic Commerce Agreement, starting Aug. 24, banning customs duties on e-commerce transactions between individuals across Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while also bringing in rules on personal data protection, cross-border data transfers for commerce, and legal recognition of electronic signatures. Brazil Robotics on the Global Stage: Brazilian programmer Isabela Moura helped drive Chinese-made humanoid robots in 5-on-5 soccer at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, highlighting software and AI talent from Brazilian universities. AI Infrastructure Push: Intel is shifting Latin America strategy toward “AI factories,” aiming to modernize older server bases in Brazil and cut space and energy use with new infrastructure. Biotech Under Regulatory Pressure: Regenxbio’s gene therapy RGX-121 faces an FDA clinical hold tied to MRI findings, derailing near-term plans to refile. Election Politics Meets Corruption: Lula’s campaign is leaning harder on corruption narratives as the Lulinha case escalates, while opponents respond by reframing the debate around the economy. Brazil’s AI Supercomputers Plan: Brazil is moving forward with an AI infrastructure push split between Chinese and U.S. partners. Data Center Power Reality: Brazil’s data center boom is expanding on clean power, but new reporting flags the social and energy strain behind the growth.

Dengue Research Gap: A new Cochrane evidence-and-gap map says dengue prevention research is growing fast, but the world still lacks enough high-quality synthesized reviews to guide public-health decisions—an issue that hits Brazil hard as cases surge. Rare Earths Push: Power Minerals’ Morro de Ferro drilling in Brazil returned long, high-grade magnet rare earth results, including 137m at 4.31% total rare earth oxide, strengthening the project’s continuity and strategic value. Humanoid Robotics Leap: China’s World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing saw robots beat human sprint records (100m and 400m), underscoring rapid progress in AI-driven embodied robotics. El Niño Watch: A potentially record-strong El Niño is building toward 2026-27, with health and food-supply risks prompting global preparedness calls—relevant for Brazil’s climate-sensitive agriculture. Brazil-Russia Nuclear Ties: Brazil is set to deepen nuclear cooperation with Russia, aiming to expand nuclear technology use and strengthen regulation. Port Tech Update: Wilson Sons baptized a new high-powered tugboat in Rio to modernize Brazil’s port logistics and cut fuel use and emissions. Desertification Pressure: Brazil faces desertification risk across 18% of territory, threatening food and water security for vulnerable communities.

BRICS Agenda: India’s 2026 BRICS presidency kicks off with a push for “resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability,” aiming to boost Global South representation and tech-led development as geopolitical and supply-chain shocks grow. Desertification Watch: Brazil is tackling desertification risks affecting about 39 million people, with civil society and agencies discussing solutions at COP17 in Mongolia, where land degradation threatens farmers and traditional communities. Rare Earths & Environment: Brazil’s rare-earth rush is accelerating, drawing foreign-backed applications and investment—while raising concerns about impacts near the Amazon and pressure on Indigenous communities. Brazil Tech & Identity: SERPRO’s 376M biometric database underpins Brazil’s sovereign identity strategy, as regulators also move to shut down biometric matching for classroom attendance. AI/Robotics Momentum: Brazil’s presence shows up in humanoid robot games and youth robotics wins, highlighting growing interest in practical AI and automation. Cybersecurity Roundup: A week of reporting flags breaches and attacks across sectors, including a SafePal wallet data exposure and other cybercrime disruptions involving Brazil-linked investigations.

Rare Earths in Brazil: A new AP/Reporter Brasil analysis says Brazil has 2,727 rare-earth exploration applications through June, with most filed in the last three years—often by foreign-backed firms—while a quarter overlap protected areas or Indigenous territories, raising alarms over deforestation, pollution, and water stress. AI + Tourism Diplomacy: BRICS tourism ministers adopted the Jaipur Declaration, backing cooperation on AI for tourism, sustainability, skills building, and smoother travel facilitation. Brazil-US Tech & Telecom: The US eased parts of Venezuela sanctions to allow telecom investment, aiming to upgrade fiber and expand 4G/5G—an example of how connectivity policy can shift under targeted diplomacy. Biotech for Brazil’s Farms: Bioma registered what it calls Brazil’s first metabolite-based biofungicide, targeting soybean diseases like anthracnose and target spot. Mining Safety Tech: Autonomous mining tech 2026 highlights standardized safety systems, with Komatsu South Africa earning TRL4 certification for collision prevention under ISO 21815. Aging Health Tests: Experts warn grip strength, balance, and sit-to-stand tests are useful but not crystal balls—bad results should trigger medical follow-up, not longevity predictions.

Online Gambling Impact: A new Brazil-focused study finds 42% of women have gambled on online betting platforms, with 54% saying they feel direct effects on themselves or their families—highlighting a social cost beyond money. Robotics & AI Competitions: China’s World Humanoid Robot Games opened in Beijing with 2,056 robots from 666 teams, including praise from Brazil-linked delegates—another sign of how fast humanoid tech is moving. BRICS Tech Diplomacy: BRICS communications ministers met in Pune mixing digital cooperation with cultural diplomacy, while BRICS tourism ministers adopted the Jaipur Declaration—calling for AI in tourism, sustainability, skills building, and easier travel. Brazil Space Skills: Africa’s push to build satellite know-how spotlights the gap between local spacecraft manufacturing and foreign-led design, with Rwanda’s cleanroom effort as a model. Brazil Industry & AI: LG opened a Paraná factory with AI and industrial robotics to boost local appliance production for LatAm. Health & Safety Tech: DoorDash’s SafeChat talk from its São Paulo trust and safety team shows how AI safety systems are built and iterated in real production. Energy & Resources: Brazil’s rare-earth rush is accelerating via foreign-backed mining permits, raising both supply hopes and environmental concerns.

Cancer Policy: India’s parliamentary panel urges making cancer a nationwide notifiable disease to improve surveillance beyond patchwork state rules. Brazil AI Infrastructure: Brazil plans to invest in AI supercomputers and an AI infrastructure push, balancing projects split between Chinese and US firms. Payments & Identity in Brazil: Serpro’s 376M biometric database underpins Brazil’s sovereign identity strategy, while Inter Pag and ACI Worldwide expand intelligent payments orchestration in Brazil. App Store Antitrust: Epic accuses Apple of sidestepping Brazil’s App Store antitrust deal; Apple has until Monday to respond to CADE. Climate Preparedness: Brazil holds regional “El Niño” dialogue meetings across major cities to fold local demands into emergency planning. Health Research: A Brazilian-backed study suggests omega-3 plus low-dose aspirin may reduce antibiotic needs for severe periodontitis. Mining & Energy: Petrobras hits peak pre-salt production, and Vale’s Carajás mine highlights AI-driven logistics alongside major Amazon impacts.

India–Brazil Digital Pact: India and Brazil signed a telecom/ICT MoU to deepen cooperation on universal connectivity, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, emerging tech, and capacity building. Brazil–India Tech Infrastructure: Brazil’s manufacturing trade deficit hit a record $38.2B in the first half, underlining a tech gap that’s driving higher imports. AI Supercomputing in Brazil: Brazil is pushing AI supercomputers with projects split between Chinese and U.S. firms, as the country balances strategic partnerships. Energy & Grid Tech: Brazil’s offshore sector keeps moving: Petrobras’ FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão reached maximum output in the Mero Field. Climate Risk for Brazil: The UK forecasts an El Niño that could be the strongest in over a century, with knock-on drought and heat risks for parts of South America. Sustainable Procurement: Canada joined the Belém Declaration on sustainable public procurement alongside Brazil. Health & Policy: Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld protections tied to the Autazes potash project after a petition to halt activities was rejected. Tech in the Real World: Eve (Embraer’s eVTOL unit) says it has enough cash to reach certification expected in 2028.

AI Infrastructure in Brazil: Brazil will invest about R$2.3bn (US$444m) to strengthen its AI ecosystem, splitting work between Chinese and U.S. firms: R$1.3bn will back a Rio de Janeiro supercomputing project with Huawei and iFlytek to develop large language models, while R$1bn will fund a tender for a supercomputer expected to rank among the world’s top 10, installed in Rio Grande do Norte and reportedly aimed at Nvidia. Public Safety Tech: Texas’ Lufkin Police suspended use of Flock automated license plate readers after an officer was arrested over alleged misuse, with a second officer placed on leave. Digital Life for Seniors: A Brazil survey finds people 50+ are rapidly adopting AI and internet tools, with daily internet use rising to 87% and AI use to 45%—but also highlights new safety and skills challenges. Agritech Research: Brazilian scientists identified bacteria that can reduce wheat root rot symptoms by reshaping the soil microbiome, pointing to new inoculant options. Energy Demand & AI: A report warns AI data centers’ electricity needs are reshaping power grids, with global demand projected to surge sharply this decade.

Rare Earth Rush: Brazil is drawing surging rare-earth exploration permits, with 42% of applications tied to foreign-backed firms, but critics warn of major environmental and Indigenous impacts—especially near the Amazon. Mining Services Expansion: Metso is investing about €45m to expand South America mining repair and support capacity, including a new service centre in Minas Gerais planned for 2028. Digital Payments & Policy: India’s UPI debate turns to whether it can stay “free” as Parliament creates a Merchant Discount Rate, while Brazil’s Pix faces US scrutiny—raising digital payment sovereignty questions. Cybersecurity: Grandoreiro, a long-running banking Trojan, is resurfacing with a new Mexico-focused campaign, showing continued stealth and regional targeting. AI Ads & Regulation: OpenAI is rolling ChatGPT ads into 31 European countries, with opt-out affecting personalization but not ad delivery. EU App Store Shake-up: Apple reached an EU deal simplifying App Store fees, replacing a per-install charge with a 5% commission structure. Health Research (Brazil): Brazil is advancing a vaccine approach for Plasmodium vivax malaria, targeting a species that’s harder to study and culture than P. falciparum. Data Centers: Ascenty is seeking about $1bn from a new investor to fund AI-focused data-center expansion. Climate Risk: El Niño is intensifying, with forecasts pointing to major drought/flood impacts that could hit food and commodity prices worldwide.