Paraguay is on the verge of a technological leap with the construction of an artificial intelligence (AI) center in partnership with Taiwan, under a 50/50 arrangement. The question arises whether the country has the human capital to carry out the project or will depend entirely on foreign labor. For the president of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), Benjamín Barán, the answer is optimistic and recalls a previous challenge: the construction of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam.
“This question reminds me of the 1970s, when the construction of Itaipu began: did Paraguay have enough specialists to build a hydroelectric plant of that magnitude?” Barán asked. In his view, history is repeating itself, now in the digital realm. “In my personal view, Paraguay already has a reasonable number of engineers, specialists, and researchers to start the work, with a wonderful youth who, properly motivated and with adequate support, are preparing to carry forward a project of this nature, which could position the country in a prominent place in the region,” he highlighted.
Barán cited the Polytechnic Faculty of the National University of Asunción (FP-UNA) as an example: in recent years, about 20 PhDs in computer science have graduated, along with more than 40 master's graduates with a scientific emphasis and another 170 with a professional emphasis. He noted that although not all have specialized specifically in building or operating data centers for AI, “they have enough training to adapt quickly.”
The Conacyt president also mentioned the Carlos Antonio López scholarship program, which over the past ten years has brought back to Paraguay 24 PhDs and 164 master's graduates trained in engineering and related fields at the world's best universities. In addition, the National System of Researchers (Sisni), which replaced the former Pronii, now has more than 80 categorized researchers in the engineering area, of whom more than 20 are newly incorporated professionals.
Barán emphasized that the country faces major challenges: it needs to train more engineers, increase the quality of projects, and strengthen the international collaboration network. “Improve the processes of technological adoption and innovation so that the country's companies take advantage of these advances, generating better products and services that help increase the quality of life of our population,” he concluded.