Spain: AI to Multiply Data Center Demand by Sixfold

The emergence of artificial intelligence is accelerating the demand for data centers in Spain and worldwide.

In the last year, the installed power in Spain increased by 23%, reaching 439 MW. Spain DC projects that this figure could reach 2,537 MW by 2030 if the current trend continues.

This growth positions Spain as a key player in European digital infrastructure, with Madrid and Barcelona as the main development centers, although Aragon is emerging as a significant competitor.

Aragon, with an unprecedented growth projection, could surpass Madrid in installed capacity, thanks to the availability of land, access to renewable energy, and its strategic location.

Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Blackstone are investing significant sums in Aragon to establish data centers.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced an increase in its investments, raising its total investment to 33.7 billion euros by 2034, with projects in Huesca, Villanueva de Gállego, El Burgo de Ebro, and Teruel. Microsoft is also developing a campus in Zaragoza, with a projected investment of 5.3 billion euros. Blackstone, through QTS, plans a campus in Calatorao (Zaragoza) with an investment of 7.5 billion euros, covering 224 hectares.

Other companies like Box2Bit and Merlin Properties are also planning significant investments in the region.

Catalonia, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community will also experience growth in their data center capacity in the next five years.

Catalonia will almost triple its installed power, while the Basque Country and the Valencian Community also anticipate increases. Navarre and Castilla-La Mancha, although without operational centers currently, plan to enter the sector with significant investments. The majority of operational data centers are of low power, but a trend towards higher capacity installations is observed.

The Spanish Data Center Association attributes the sector's growth to artificial intelligence (AI), which influences the design and location of facilities.

New installations are increasingly oriented towards high-density workloads and AI. This development, which could multiply the current capacity by six, will require qualified personnel, a challenge for the sector.

The industry estimates that employment associated with data centers will exceed 16,000 people, with projected investments of 66.9 billion euros by the end of the decade.

The sector demands a favorable regulatory framework to accelerate expansion, recognizing data centers as strategic infrastructures.

Begoña Villacís, executive director of Spain DC, highlights the importance of strategic autonomy and digital sovereignty in the European context. The streamlining of administrative processes and the strengthening of the electricity grid, currently saturated, are requested. The sector faces the challenge of high energy and water consumption, seeking energy efficiency solutions and the use of renewable energies.

The sector recognizes the need to improve energy efficiency, with the development of advanced cooling architectures and the use of liquid cooling technology.

Water consumption has been reduced to 0.21 liters per kWh, below the European average. The sector aims to achieve 100% renewable supply and promote the circular economy, including the recovery and reuse of generated heat.