Two new semiconductor projects that will contribute to the state’s technological and economic development were signed on Monday afternoon (23/6) at the new Invest RS office in São Paulo, in the presence of Governor Eduardo Leite. The agreements were made with the companies Tellescom Semiconductors and Chipus Microelectronics and will result in investments of more than R$1 billion and the creation of one thousand new jobs.
The letter of intent with Tellescom involves the Secretariat of Innovation, Science and Technology (Sict), the Secretariat of Economic Development (Sedec) and Invest RS and formalizes the allocation of part of a plot of land located in the municipality of Cachoeirinha, for sale to the company via incentives from the State Industrial Development Program (Proedi). The space will be used to install semiconductor encapsulation and testing units.
With an investment of approximately R$1 billion, the goal is to build a factory focused on the production of electronic components for the areas of communications, automotive and advanced computing. The project seeks to strengthen the semiconductor sector in the region and generate more than a thousand direct qualified jobs.
“These signatures mark the progress and consolidation of the Semicondutores RS program, which has three main pillars: knowledge production, investment attraction and talent training. Therefore, we can celebrate this moment, which is a symbol of the path we are developing”, stated the head of Sict, Simone Stülp.
The president of Invest RS, Rafael Prikladnicki, emphasized that the new projects represent a strategic leap for the positioning of Rio Grande do Sul in the technological scenario: “It is a movement that consolidates the state as a protagonist in the semiconductor area and reinforces our capacity to attract structural projects for the development of Rio Grande do Sul.”
The cooperation agreement signed with Chipus refers to the support of Sict and Invest RS in the implementation of a research and development center focused on microelectronics in RS. The location will serve to internally structure the development area of semiconductor products for scalable computing, which has been widely used for artificial intelligence and quantum computing applications, with a focus on chip design and advanced packaging.
Chipus plans to launch the center in 2026, with an estimated investment of between R$200 and R$300 million over five years, and will submit the project to a joint call for proposals by the Brazilian Studies and Projects Financing Agency (Finep) and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), which aims to foster the expansion and implementation of centers like this in strategic areas in Brazil. The center will also seek to obtain different sources of revenue to ensure its sustainability during the investment period. There will be a minimum hiring of 50 employees, ten of whom will have a master’s or doctorate degree. The execution period is up to 36 months.
With Semicondutores RS, Rio Grande do Sul is the only Brazilian state with a program to stimulate the development of the sector, which will accelerate projects already in place and stimulate new investments. The program seeks to attract investments, foster innovation and technological development, and create new employment and income opportunities in the area.
