SAP AG last week opened a software services center in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil, and said it plans to hire up to 80 employees there by year's end. The facility will do custom development and localization work for customers in Latin and North America, SAP said. It will be located at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos.

Global fact: '28.1M

-- Amount of venture capital (US$36.2 million) that was invested in Irish technology vendors during the first quarter. The overall VC investment in Ireland during the quarter was '29.1 million.

Source: Ernst & Young/Dow Jones European VC Report