German Chancellor Angela Merkel officially opened the world's largest communication and information technology show at an evening gala in Hanover on Monday. CeBIT is open to the public from Tuesday until Saturday at Hanover's giant convention center.

Merkel alluded to the "everyday" nature of computers in modern life, comparing them to the once-unfathomable concept of electricity, but said that as technology becomes more commonplace "it's all the more important that you can rely on it."

"Managing trust" is the motto at CeBIT 2012.

Brazil is this year's partner country, and a key economic partner to Germany. Merkel said in her opening address that 1,300 German businesses were currently operating in Brazil, and said the two countries were becoming a symbol for new cooperation in a globalized world.

Brazilian President Dilma Roussef was also present at the ceremony. She will hold face-to-face talks with Merkel again on Tuesday.

More than 4,000 companies from over 70 countries are represented at CeBIT, the largest trade fair of its kind in the world.

msh/sjt (AFP, dpa)