In brief
Gabriela Cibils, a Paraguayan tech leader, aims to transform Paraguay into South America’s tech hub. Leveraging the country’s low-cost, green electricity from the Itaipu Dam, government officials seek to attract global firms while focusing on developing a skilled workforce.
Gabriela Cibils is on a mission – to help turn Paraguay into the Silicon Valley of South America.
When she was growing up in the landlocked country, nestled between Brazil and Argentina, she says the nation wasn't super tech focused. But it was different for Ms. Cibils, as her parents worked in the technology sector. Inspired, she studied in the U.S., obtaining degrees in computing and neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley.
After working in Silicon Valley for eight years, she returned to Paraguay, determined to build a thriving tech sector that places the country of seven million on the global map.
The government is banking on Paraguay's unique advantage: clean, cheap electricity generated from hydroelectric power, particularly from the Itaipu Dam, which meets 90% of the nation's electricity needs. This abundance is hoped to attract tech giants focused on energy-intensive operations like AI.
President Santiago Peña has engaged with tech leaders like Google, while Minister of Technology and Communication Gustavo Villate emphasizes the need for a skilled workforce, highlighted by plans for a new digital park near Asunción.
Training programs are underway to develop software engineers and close gender gaps in technology, as hopes rise for Paraguay's place in the global tech arena. Despite challenges, Cibils is optimistic about Paraguay's future, asserting that with innovation at the core, the nation has the potential to become a tech superpower.
