Ana Medeiros and the CEO of the Association of Information and Communication Technology and Digital Technology Companies, Afonso Nina. To begin this ceremony, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Rogério Seron, will address the audience. Oh, I wish I was there, man. Good morning everybody. Good morning, Mr. President, Vice-President Geraldo, my fellow ministers, and all the other colleagues present here. Mr. President, today I believe marks a milestone, at least here representing the Ministry of Finance, one of the most structural initiatives that we have managed to implement and put in place during your administration. So, why is this bill so important for the sector and for the country? First, we always say that the country is well-positioned, very well- positioned in terms of advantages in this ecological transition. We are one of the few countries with a clean energy matrix, with renewable energy, with an abundance of water, of elements that allow the country to take a leap and take advantage of this agenda that is opening up for the country's development in an agenda of high data consumption, a great need for data storage and processing with this new era of artificial intelligence. So, this project makes it possible for the supply of these services in Brazil to become competitive in relation to the world. So, that's the first element. And why is this important? This is very important. First, there is a question of national sovereignty. Currently, 60% of our data is stored outside the country because we don't have competitive pricing options in Brazil, and this project solves that problem. So, this is a first element, this is very important and it will bring jobs and income here to Brazil. Furthermore, today there is a bottleneck worldwide in the processing and supply of these services, and there are queues for training artificial intelligence model agents that have been in place for months. It's a queue that often takes months to train these models. So this creates a very, very significant bottleneck for both the domestic and international markets . So, by expanding the offering here in Brazil, and with this project establishing a 10% quota for these services here in the country to meet local demand, we will encourage companies to develop artificial intelligence solutions and process their data in Brazil. So, we open up a possibility and a platform for exporting services and development, not merely exporting energy or low value-added products. So, this is also something very, very, very important. More than that, we will use all our capacity to produce clean and renewable energy to serve this sector. So, this also places Brazil in a very distinct position in the world. The project also addresses a recurring criticism when discussing data centers: the issue of excessive water consumption, which can be a problem. The new generations, the new solutions—which are now called closed loops—the project addresses this in a very appropriate way. Therefore, water consumption will not be a problem in this type of initiative. We will require that the projects and solutions already take into account these closed circuits that demand very little, a low level of efficiency. It's about water and energy, our energy, yes, it's a lot, these data centers consume a lot of energy, but unlike the rest of the world, here we produce clean, low-carbon, and renewable energy. So, again, this isn't going to be a bottleneck, it's going to be a great opportunity. And ultimately, this will turn Brazil into an export platform. A, the export potential, it could exceed 100 billion dollars, be even more relevant than our export agenda of soybeans, oil, or just as important. So, it really is a major milestone and, moreover, regionally for the Northeast it could also be the decisive factor in transforming and definitively developing such an important region, because it has abundant renewable energy and will have connectivity. So there will likely be a very large expansion of this equipment in that region, further consuming and expanding the supply of renewable energy, leveraging the renewable energy generation potential that exists in the Northeast. It will benefit all of Brazil, but I think it's important to mention that it's a unique opportunity here in the Northeast and for the country as a whole. So, having said that, Mr. President, I think this is a very important moment, one of the most structural measures of economic development , we will very likely have an investment boom here in Brazil in recent years. This will be important for attracting foreign investment to Brazil, but also for the companies that are already here, which also want to operate in this sector and today had difficulty offering, making investments, and offering these services at competitive prices. So, Mr. President, I think this is a milestone that is beginning, and we will observe, I have no doubt, in the next 12 to 24 months, an avalanche of investment announcements that will boost the country and multiply that by 10, 15, 20, 30 times, depending on the estimates, the volume of investment and the volume of supply of this service. So, for all these reasons, Mr. President, congratulations on once again leading this type of initiative for the benefit of the country, and we hope that now the private sector will come forward and do its part, make the investments, and that we can truly open a new stage of development in a frontier sector where the country is very well positioned, and we cannot miss this opportunity. Thank you very much. [applause] The floor is now given to the Minister of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations of the Presidency of the Republic, José Guimarães. [applause] Good morning to everyone. I would like to greet the President of the Republic, and, in line with what the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Finance has already pointed out, the main points of the project that will be sanctioned today by President Lula, it is important to highlight the effort that we, the government, and the National Congress made to approve this matter. It was a year of ups and downs. We edited the provisional measure, and it lost its validity. I am presenting a bill to reinstate the content of the provisional measure that had not been voted on in the Federal Senate. Vice President Geraldo followed along well. Then there was a problem with the approval, and when we defined the rapporteurs, Senator Cid Gomes, who asked me to record this, was a rapporteur who engaged in a lot of dialogue with the government and with the Federal Senate, because there were amendments for every taste, for every type, and Congressman Agnaldo, who was also the rapporteur for the PRP, and we had to present amendment 74 to give shape and open the space for the bill to stand on its own two feet. Therefore, it is a victory for our country, a victory for the government, and also a victory for the National Congress. It's always good to acknowledge those who, in such a meritorious discussion as this one, about a project that has a great impact, including in my state, the state of Ceará, we recognized the role of those who contribute in a republican way to the development of our country. When I spoke, Mr. President, with some of the businesspeople who were here on election day, there were many doubts, because there were hidden agendas everywhere, as they say. But it was thanks to the rapporteur of the matter, Senator Cid Gomes, that we, together with Bruno Morete, were able to put together a better version of the content than what was in the provisional measure, and today we can, and the president will sign, a law that is fundamental for our country. And Ceará took the lead. And all the questions that may exist about the impact of this on water issues, on energy issues, the precautions that need to be taken, and we will take them because, above all, data always has a fundamental question of respect for our sovereignty, a topic so widely discussed today in all sectors of Brazilian society. So, Mr. President, congratulations. Our role was to coordinate the votes. We almost didn't make it in time, you remember, right? Well, right at the end, to approve this matter, we all deserve congratulations, and you all who helped in the dialogue as well, you weren't intransigent, many of you who are always here mediating, because that's the secret, dialogue and above all commitment to Brazil, which is the strength of our government, the government of President Lula. Thank you very much to everyone. [applause] [applause] [snoring] We can now hear the CEO of the Association of Information and Communication Technology and Digital Technology Companies, Afonso Nina. Very well, good morning to everyone. Good morning, Mr. President, Vice President, all the other ministers, and authorities present here. First of all, I wanted to take this opportunity, Mr. President, to congratulate the entire government team, and many of you are here, who worked with Finco on the arduous task of building this law that you will be signing today. This is a law that was developed with various ministries, the productive sector, the National Congress, and civil society, and I can attest that in my conversations, for example, in Congress, I haven't heard a single representative or senator oppose this law. There were fine adjustments, but overall there was almost unanimous recognition of its importance for this development. The word from the secretary , from Minister José Guimarães, has already highlighted several points that are so important in this project for Brazil. Well, I also want to quickly state that I'm here on behalf of Brascom; we have other associations that represent the communication technology sector. Here we have ABS, we have BDC, Digia, NEO, and Telcomp. I apologize if I've forgotten or missed anything, but just to say that it's a very large ecosystem of large companies, smaller companies, Brazilian companies, and multinational companies that all support this development and will benefit. This entire ecosystem will greatly benefit from what we're seeing today: Brazil taking this very important step. And we're talking about redata. Redata is data centers, but we're not just talking about data centers. I always say that we're talking about much more than just data centers. We're talking about the digital growth of Brazil, and more than that, the growth of digital Brazil, right? A growth that we believe effectively brings economic growth and greater social inclusion, Mr. President. Because digital inclusion, excuse me, digital inclusion is one of the weapons we have to reduce the social gap in this country. So we have a golden opportunity here to effectively achieve more robust economic development in today's digital world and to achieve social inclusion through digital inclusion. Redata deals with data centers because they are the fundamental basis of this digital economy. Digital infrastructure is what we need to make everything work, right? And Brazil today, as Secretary Seon stated, Brazil today does not have this infrastructure entirely within its national territory. Much is done outside. We have data from the Central Bank showing that our deficit in the Information Technology Services Trade Balance went from a deficit of 3 billion in 2021 to almost 8 billion last year, and in the first half of this year alone, around 4.3 billion. In other words, we've seen a growing trend that Redata will certainly help Brazil reverse, enabling it to meet local demand with this infrastructure and, as has already been mentioned here, to export services at a time when the world needs this infrastructure, and Brazil is very well positioned [clearing throat] to meet this demand. And I think the point raised here about environmental concerns is also very important. Mr. President, we now have, for the first time, a law that establishes conditions for water efficiency, energy efficiency, and energy sources—legislation that we didn't have until now for data centers. This is very important because Brazil needs to achieve this growth while remaining environmentally sustainable. And Redata brings that. I think there are many things we can talk about, right, in relation to data centers, but what I want to emphasize here is that we're talking about investments, on the order of the next 5 years, depending on how well we manage to bring this global demand here, but we foresee between 100 and 200 billion dollars, Mr. President, in investments just in data center infrastructure, not to mention all the impact this has on the rest of the chain: energy, telecommunications, software development. startups, that is, all the impact that this brings to the economy, which is very large. So, we effectively have a golden opportunity for the country here. We see this as a first step; there are other steps coming now, led by Redata, but Brazil, for sure, is entering the game at this moment. I 'm saying that on the global stage of digital technologies, Brazil was a supporting player, maybe even in the backstage, okay? We're on stage now, we don't have Lofot on top of us yet, but we'll get there. Brazil will be a player, an important actor in this market, and we will set an example for the world on how to do this sustainably and with a positive economic and social impact. So, thank you again, Mr. President, for your leadership in this, and to all the ministers who worked on this, and also to the teams from the ministries [clearing throat] who worked hard on a project that we see as truly bringing a better future for our country. Thank you very much. [applause] [applause] The Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Márcio Elias Rosa, is now taking the floor. Very good. Very good. Hey, good morning everyone. It's a privilege, an honor to be here, President Lula, our Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, who has always been Minister of Industry and Commerce. Ah, it was during the period when Minister Alkm was vice-president that we began discussing Redata, the importance of Redata. To greet Minister Miriam Belquior, right? And through the minister, I would like to greet all my other colleagues, Luciana, Estter, Tarstiana, and Alfonso Nina, and through him all the representatives of the sector, expressing my deep gratitude for the help and collaboration they all provide in the development of this public policy. Mr. President, we are in a crucial and very important week. I'm very honored and happy to be here this week. Yesterday we sanctioned the measure here, not to mention the improvement of working conditions and also for consumers, to improve air quality, the conditions of those who dedicate themselves to individual passenger transport, van transport, a permanent policy of access to credit for drivers working in this transport sector. Today we are working on advancing technology, filling the technology gap, transforming Brazil's situation, not just to incorporate technology, research, innovation, and attract investment in an area that is crucial for the future. Industry 4.0, digital transformation, the world is expecting this. Tomorrow we will have critical minerals, the regulatory framework for critical minerals. Brazil is adapted to the conditions imposed by the current times, but ready for the challenges that lie ahead. We are in a crucial week for the future of Brazil, but we are taking care of the present, as rarely seen in this nation. So much so that we are reaping the best social and economic indicators in recent times. An unemployment rate lower than the historical average, less than 5.2%, while family income is rising, is n't that right? Containing and slowing down inflation. In other words, the country has returned to growth, and it has grown sustainably economically, socially, and environmentally, as we are now saying. I just want to highlight, Mr. President, very quickly, everyone knows Redata, Ser was extremely didactic, but an important point comes from what Afonso said. We have a significant deficit in our service exports; the balance of payments for services may have reached 8 billion. We need to reverse this, obviously, just as we reversed it with goods. I always like to say that today, in the year 2026, we are about to break the record again in our trade flow. This year's surplus will exceed 90 billion. To give you an idea, 5 years ago our deficit, or surplus, was 45 billion. We managed to double that. From 2019 to 2022, the average trade flow in Brazil was 470 billion. The average from 2023 to 2025, I don't even want to mention. These 9 months out of 26 have already reached 603 billion. And we are succeeding, diversifying our export portfolio to 52 countries, we have increased our service export portfolio by 10.5%, Mr. President. And now with this influx of investment, we will also increase the range of services, reducing this deficit. And that's what people expect us to do. The good thing about Red is that it's not a transitional, episodic, or merely sectoral policy. On the contrary, it is structural, structural because it benefits the entire production chain. We will be able to attract investments not only for infrastructure, but also for processing, for data management, for all associated services, for example, the development of artificial intelligence, as you always complain, as you always say, it is necessary to guarantee Brazil's digital sovereignty, but our bill that you are signing today also provides that for the domestic market, at least 10% of this processing and storage capacity must meet local demand to reverse what Seron said, that a good part of the data centers here are being installed outside the country. It's interesting because there's a suspension of federal taxes. We expect states and municipalities to follow suit, but the fact is that there is a suspension of federal taxes whenever the product does not have equivalent national production, provided it is intended for active use, mobilized through these investments, and it is valid for 5 years. In other words, we are facing a major innovation. Brazil will cease to be merely a consumer of digital services; it will expand its participation in infrastructure, positioning itself as a crucial player in the digital economy. And we, Mr. President, are moving forward with this, fulfilling the New Industry Brazil that you launched back in 2023. The New Industry Brazil is based on six missions: agribusiness, the health industrial economic complex, infrastructure, digital transformation (mission 4), bioeconomy (mission 5), and the defense industry (mission 6). The theme of the Redata project relates to all the missions of the New Industry Brazil. It is the cornerstone of any industrial policy for the future and for modernity, where Brazil always needs to be. Thanks. Congratulations, President Lula. [applause] At this moment, the Vice President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin, takes the floor. [applause] Good morning. Good morning everyone. I would like to greet President Lula through Minister Miriam Belkioras, Ministers Afonso Nina, our president of Brascon, friends, today is a great day, Mr. President, because you are signing a law that should attract, and he, Afonso Nina, has estimated between 500 billion and 1 trillion in investment. This is the sector that attracts investment, and the law will bring predictability, and Brazil has all the conditions to be the champion in this area. We have 3% of the world's population, 2% of the world's GDP, and 1% of the world's data centers. We have a path, an avenue ahead of us . And the limiting factor in the world of artificial intelligence is energy. And we have abundant and renewable energy, clean energy. Moreover, in some regions it will even help reduce the cost of cooling, because during periods of excess energy you have the problem of having to shut down the system. So we're going to have to move forward a lot. And Minister Márcio put it right, the main deficit not only in the services balance, but also in the products balance, is IT. The second largest deficit is in healthcare, but the largest trade deficit is in IT. This opens an opportunity for the industry, the Brazilian national IT industry, to advance 100 MW, and it is mandatory to invest at least 1 billion in civil construction for every 100 MW and five to 5 billion in equipment. So, of course, there is no equivalent national production ; the law allows for the elimination of the tax, but whatever has equivalent national production will strengthen Brazilian industry, reducing the deficit and strengthening a strategic industry, which is mission four, as well stated, in the matter of digital transition. Well, investment is exactly what Brazil needs: investment, jobs, income in a cutting-edge area, and at the same time, with sustainability. The law establishes all the parameters for the highest level of sustainability. We are always happy, Mr. President, when you approve a bill from Guimarães that is the result of dialogue. Furthermore, you, who presented it, are the author of the law when the provisional measure expired, and it was the result of dialogue. This is a union, a good marriage between the desires of society and the planning of the State. Congratulations, Mr. President. Congratulations to everyone. [applause] At this moment, the President of the Republic, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, is signing into law bill number 278/2026, which establishes a special tax regime for data center services. Valid for 5 years, the new special regime encourages the development of digital infrastructure through the installation or modernization of data- focused infrastructure, aiming to increase economic competitiveness, strengthen technological leadership, and consolidate Brazilian digital sovereignty. The supplementary bill number 74/2026 creates exceptions to the fiscal rules limiting the commitment and financial movement of funds for tax benefits and mandatory expenses foreseen in the 2026 budget. This is a technical regulation aimed at ensuring the implementation, still within the 2026 budget, of the benefits granted by the special tax regime for data center services, especially the suspension of PIS/PASEP, COFINS, IPI, and import tax for the sector. This ceremony is now concluded. Everyone is asked to remain in their seats until the President of the Republic leaves.