- The geographical location, the maturity of the IT sector and the fruits of recent investments make Spain the European country where the sector is growing the mosat.
- Spain DC wants to strengthen a key sector for the digital economy: every euro invested in data centres has a 12 euro impact on GDP.
Spain is the European country with the highest growth in the data centre sector, the basic specialised infrastructure for interconnecting, storing, safeguarding and processing data on a large scale. To underpin this evolution and lay the foundations for the future of this industry, Spain DC, the Spanish Data Centre Association, which brings together the main companies in the sector in Spain, was presented today in Madrid. The aim is to join forces in the face of a promising horizon: over the next 5 years, Spain will be able to attract direct investment in physical infrastructures estimated at 5,000 million euros.
The main objective of the association is to position the sector as an economic and social catalyst. As the physical base of everything that happens online, data centres are one of the driving forces of the digital economy and therefore a powerful lever for economic activation and attracting talent and investment. Spain DC is set up to take advantage of the opportunity to position Spain at the forefront of this technology, turning the country into the interconnection hub of Southern Europe, with the consequent generation of employment, investment and future opportunities. In the midst of the digitalisation of the economy, it is worth noting that every euro invested in data centres has an impact of 12 euros on GDP.
The DCD>Connect Madrid sectorial event served as a framework for the official presentation of the organisation to data centre professionals. At the event, the heads of Spain DC shared the objectives and mission set to capitalise on the sector's growth momentum in Spain. The main goals are to secure and protect the position of the industry, lay the foundations for the future of the sector, establish a recognisable point of contact with stakeholders, raise the profile of the industry, promote initiatives to improve environmental care from data centres, promote education programmes for the development of qualified personnel, as well as unite and promote the digital sector.
Focus of action
To achieve these goals, Spain DC has established three focal points for the association's activities: energy and sustainability, education and the digital economy. Data centres consume large amounts of energy to operate and keep cool, which makes the commitment to sustainability the main focus of action. Spain DC is focused on the commitment to reducing energy use and CO2 emissions, efficient water management, as well as promoting the industry to obtain the main certifications related to energy efficiency and sustainability.
In terms of education, links will be established between the data centre industry and early childhood and university education in order to improve the technical skills that future industry professionals will need. Having qualified professionals is essential for Spain to reinforce its position as a continental leader, strengthening and accelerating the digitalisation of the economy.
Ignacio Velilla, President of Spain DC, highlights the historic opportunity the country has to turn its potential into reality: "with the right conditions, Spain has everything in its favour to become a global digital communications hub". "The sector not only has the capacity to attract investment, and to retain and attract talent, but we can also make a decisive contribution to the growth and the energy and digital transformation of the Spanish economy", adds Velilla.
Members
In its initial phase and pending the incorporation of new members who have already expressed their interest, Spain DC is made up of leading companies in the sector such as DATA4, DCD, Equinix, Global Switch, Infrastructure Masons, Interxion, Nabiax, Quark and Sales4U.
