Spain pours billions into AI data centers and computing infrastructure

The Spanish government approved a €719 million investment to build an advanced AI computing gigafactory, managed by the public‑private consortium SETT, with sites in Mora la Nova (Tarragona) and San Fernando de Henares (Madrid). The project aims to give Europe its own large‑scale super‑computing capacity for training and operating next‑generation AI models.

Private investors are also committing massive sums to AI‑focused data‑centre infrastructure. ACS, Ferrovial and Merlin Properties announced more than €6 billion of new data‑centre projects in the Community of Madrid, including Ferrovial’s €1 billion campus in Alcobendas and ACS’s plan to allocate up to €12 billion for Spanish data‑centre development, of which €4.2‑€4.8 billion will be spent in Madrid. Submer, a Catalan technology firm, disclosed a €1 billion private investment to build an AI data centre on the former Ercros chemical plant in Flix, Tarragona, scheduled to start operations from 2029 and expected to create about 150 jobs.

At the same time, Spain is extending AI use into health. The regions of Madrid and Andalusia have launched AI‑driven health‑service pilots, while the newly created Spanish Agency for AI Supervision (AESIA) will oversee ethical and legal compliance. The private‑sector Fundación IDIS has launched the Private Health Data Space, a secure, interoperable platform financed by the EU’s NextGenerationEU programme, intended to enable safe secondary use of health data for research and innovation.