ByteDance is negotiating to cooperate with renewable energy producer Casa dos Ventos to develop a facility in the Pecem port complex in Ceara state, located in northeastern Brazil.
The discussions took place in the context of Latin America's largest economy seeking to position itself as a global hub for the rapidly growing data center industry, in order to take advantage of its abundant renewable energy resources.
According to Reuters, TikTok initially wanted to build a 300-megawatt (MW) data center, but the project could eventually expand to 900MW in the second phase.
If the project comes true, Brazil will be the focus in building TikTok's data center in the Western Hemisphere. In February 2025, ByteDance announced a plan to invest $8.8 billion in data centers in Thailand over the next 5 years.
TikTok has not yet commented on its plans in Brazil.
Pecem is considered an ideal location for data centers in Brazil due to the presence of nearby underground cable stations and the focus on renewable power production in the region.
Casa dos Ventos has previously made a request to Brazil's national grid operator, the ONS, to connect the grid to a data center project in Pecem. Brazilian authorities are assessing the possibility of allowing increased grid capacity for data center projects in Pecem and other areas, the two sources said.
Casa dos Ventos declined to comment on the negotiations with ByteDance, but said in a statement that they are "committed to turning Pecem Port into a center for technological innovation and energy transition".
"The company is developing the largest data center in the country and a (green) hydrogen project, which will be supplied with renewable energy in the company's investment portfolio. In the development of these two projects, the company is looking for opportunities to cooperate with potential partners to support the implementation," Casa dos Ventos shared.
