Over the course of this past academic year, I have had the opportunity to study the economy, government, and development of Brazil. In Developmental Economics, I had the opportunity to learn about the Brazilian Miracle and how positioned it is for wild economic and industrial growth.
As a firm member of the G20, Brazil is in prime position to come out of its developmental stage and become a new leader in this technological age. With the rise in artificial intelligence, many are concerned with the environmental impact that each new data center has. In addition to consuming massive amounts of energy for processing purposes only, even more energy is expended on cooling these data centers.
As Brazil’s energy sector is made of approximately 88-89% renewable energy, it is able to export much of its oil supply to other countries and is one of the largest exporters of energy in the world. With its largely renewable energy ecosystem and power surplus, it has been identified as a prime location for “green” data centers.
While not practical in the United States because of the significant increase in power, Brazil is capable of supplying air-cooled instead of water-cooled data centers. By using less water and utilizing energy from renewable sources, this would help companies train their large language models while causing much less of a strain on the environment.
I am most excited to see these renewable energy collection methods in action in what seems like the beginning of another Brazilian Miracle. At the Foz do Iguaçu and Itaipu Dam in addition to the Osario Wind Farm, I am grateful for the opportunity to evaluate and learn from these collection centers, which are some of the biggest in the world for their type of power generation. This is a fantastic opportunity not only to expose myself to another culture and broaden my horizons, but also to see one of the locations that may save our planet from climate change while enabling the innovation of the future.
Swanson School of Engineering 