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Construction in Pecém enters new phase and is expected to mobilize suppliers, workers, and international air cargo before the start of commercial operation scheduled for 2027.
The construction of the TikTok-linked data center at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex, in Ceará, has entered the phase of assembling the pre-molded structures of the first building.
The venture is led by the Omnia Data Centers and is expected to begin commercial operation in the third quarter of 2027, as informed by Rodrigo Abreu, the company’s CEO, in an interview with Diário do Nordeste.
The construction site is also expected to increase the number of workers in the coming days.
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The reported expectation is that the contingent will reach about **one thousand people** at this stage, marked by the assembly of the first structures of the building that will house part of the data processing equipment.
According to Abreu, the initial schedule is maintained.
“We are in the phase of assembling the pre-molded structures of the first building. We already have some covered spaces, so it’s starting to take the shape of a building. What we have practically finished is the assembly of the pre-molded first room,” he stated.
The project will be installed in the Ceará Export Processing Zone, within the Pecém Complex.
The structure was announced by the State Government as the largest data center in Brazil and the first data processing hub with TikTok operations in Latin America, with an expectation of generating 3,800 jobs in construction and 400 in operation.
Data center assembly advances at Pecém Complex
The current phase focuses on installing pre-molded parts and preparing the environments that will form the first building of the complex.
The completion of the initial structure is scheduled for the end of 2026, according to the timeline released by the company responsible for the work.
After the structural stage, the project is expected to move on to electrical assembly and the installation of technological infrastructure.
This phase is scheduled for the first half of 2027 and includes the systems necessary to receive servers, processing equipment, and other operational components.
Omnia informed the Government of Ceará that it has committed to prioritizing Ceará-based companies among the project’s suppliers.
According to the State Secretary of Economic Development, Fábio Feijó, **R$ 190 million** has already been contracted for the construction, and about **90% of this amount was allocated to local companies**.
Feijó stated that the company also informs the State what was not acquired in Ceará and the reasons for contracting outside the local market.
According to the secretary, this monitoring can guide public policies and help identify competitiveness gaps in production chains linked to large ventures.
“In the construction of the steel mill, for example, we don’t have information on what was bought or not in Ceará. This allows us to feed public policies and analyze competitiveness gaps. We will certainly bring this to future investments,” said the secretary during Intersolar Nordeste.
Cargo planes from China expected to bring equipment in 2027
Starting in April 2027, Ceará is expected to receive **cargo planes from China** with machinery and components destined for the data center.
The forecast mentioned by Fábio Feijó is for **15 monthly flights** to serve the equipment installation stage.
The flow of aircraft was also pointed out by the secretary as a possibility to expand commercial negotiations with Chinese buyers.
The state government’s assessment is that the planes, after unloading equipment in Ceará, could return loaded with local products, provided there are commercial agreements and logistical conditions for this type of operation.
“The planes will arrive loaded with equipment and could return to China empty. Or they could return with products from Ceará, based on negotiations with Chinese buyers,” stated Feijó.
The alternative was cited by the secretary as a possibility for the State’s exporting sectors, including agribusiness.
The realization of this model, however, depends on negotiations with purchasing companies, cargo availability, regulatory adjustments, and operational structure for international transport.
TikTok data center structure in Ceará
The data center will have **20 data halls**, the name given to the rooms that house servers and technology equipment.
These environments will be distributed across two buildings, with an initial reported processing capacity of **200 MW** contracted by ByteDance, the Chinese company that controls TikTok.
The venture was designed according to the company’s demands.
According to information released by the Government of Ceará, the project involves private investment exceeding **R$ 200 billion**, considering the planned total for implementation and operation.
During construction, the reported expectation is the generation of **3,800 jobs**.
In the operation phase, the projection is **400 jobs**.
The figures were released in the context of the project announcement and the implementation stages at the Pecém Complex.
The structure is expected to operate with **renewable energy supplied by Casa dos Ventos**, one of the project’s partner companies.
The presented forecast is that two large parks in Ceará will supply the operation, with the possibility of a third plant in another state.
Renewable energy and environmental licensing
The Government of Ceará informed that the data center will be fully supplied by renewable energy.
The state administration also stated, in a project announcement, that the planned cooling system will not use water to cool the equipment, restricting water consumption to human uses and building maintenance.
The environmental licensing of the venture was subject to public questioning.
In February 2026, Poder360 reported that TikTok and Omnia challenged a technical report linked to the Federal Public Ministry that pointed out flaws and omissions in the process.
The companies denied irregularities and stated that the complex will have 100% renewable energy.
The inclusion of this point in the debate occurs because large-scale data centers require high energy availability, connectivity, and operational security infrastructure.
In the case of Pecém, the project also relates to Ceará’s strategy of attracting technology investments associated with the supply of renewable energy and the state’s logistical infrastructure.
Expansion of Omnia’s campus in Ceará
Omnia states that the campus in Pecém may undergo new expansion phases.
Rodrigo Abreu said that ByteDance has already expressed its intention to expand operations in the future and that the company is also evaluating the possibility of attracting other global technology companies to the complex.
“The ByteDance client will expand operations in the future; they have already stated that the intention is to expand this campus to be much larger than the initial one currently under construction. But, in addition, we also envision the possibility of bringing other large technology companies here,” stated the CEO.
According to Abreu, hyperscale data centers serve a restricted group of global clients, with demand compatible with high-capacity structures.
The executive said that conversations with companies of this size usually involve long timelines and high investment volumes.
“We are talking about 8 to 12 global companies that are candidates to locate in a global data center campus. These conversations happen, they are long-term projects, always long developments, where you have hundreds of billions of investment committed, so it takes a long time,” he stated.
With the assembly of pre-molded structures underway, the work enters a stage of increased activity on the construction site and preparation for the installation of technological systems.
The next phases include the completion of the first building, electrical assembly, and the arrival of equipment imported from China.
The participation of Ceará suppliers, the possible use of return flights for exports, and operation with renewable energy are among the points monitored by the state government and the companies involved.
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