Siemens' decision to open two new centers of excellence in Portugal, dedicated to artificial intelligence and user experience design, is one of these news. We are not talking about a marginal investment. We are talking about one of the largest technology companies in the world, strengthening its presence in a country with just over ten million inhabitants.

I have always argued that Portugal can only truly grow if it invests in talent, technology, and innovation. And what we are seeing now with this expansion of Siemens is exactly that: the recognition that our country is much more than a peripheral economy. It is a competence center capable of generating global impact.

Portugal is already Siemens' sixth largest competence center. This feat does not happen by chance. The company currently employs 4,300 people in Portugal, exports two-thirds of the value it generates and contributes directly to international projects, from industrial digitalization solutions to Singapore's urban metaverse. We are not just suppliers. We are co-creators of technology.

Under the leadership of Sofia Tenreiro, the first woman to head Siemens Portugal, the national operation is taking a strategic leap. The company will hire at least 250 people for these two new centers, dedicated to AI and UX. And it is important to understand why these areas are so crucial. Artificial intelligence is no longer a trend. It has become a fundamental pillar for the competitiveness of companies. It affects decisions, processes, efficiency, and value creation. User experience, on the other hand, is now one of the biggest competitive weapons of big tech, because what distinguishes a solution is not just what it does, but how it is used.

When Siemens decides to strengthen these areas in Portugal, it sends a very clear message: it believes in the ecosystem, in universities, in the quality of our technical and human talent and in the country's ability to keep up with the digital revolution. And this matters. It matters to Siemens, to the country and to all those who want Portugal to be more than a recipient of innovation. We want to be among the producers.

Portugal also benefits from something that we often underestimate. Our strategic location between America, Europe and Africa, combined with universities that are repeatedly in international rankings and a growing technological ecosystem, positions us on the global map of advanced engineering.

This investment by Siemens reinforces an evidence that I have repeated in my chronicles. Portugal has everything to take a leading role in this new technological cycle. But we have to believe more in ourselves. We have to abandon the idea of a small country and think like a competent, reliable country capable of competing with the best.

When I see companies like Siemens growing in Portugal, I see much more than new jobs. I see the country we can be. I see a future where Portugal exports not only products, but knowledge, innovation and technology that transforms industries around the world.

And that, to me, is the real sign that we are on the right track.