Spain’s Data Center Industry: The Digital Backbone of European Economy

Data centers are critical to the functioning of our digital society, providing essential services such as online banking, streaming platforms, video games, and remote work and study. These facilities are like “digital factories” or “hotels for computers” that house servers processing and storing data.

The data center industry is experiencing significant growth in Spain, with predictions of a direct investment of 8,000 million euros by 2026. Currently, there are 23 colocation data centers in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville, with plans for expansion. Data4Group, a French operator, operates in multiple European countries with a campus model that promotes scalability and efficiency by sharing space among different buildings.

Spain’s geographical location is advantageous due to its proximity to European and African continents and its connections via undersea cables. This has led to significant investments in the country, with plans to attract over 160 million euros by 2025. Spain also boasts the largest fiber optic infrastructure in Europe, making it an attractive destination for the data center sector.

However, data centers consume high levels of energy for operation and cooling, which can have a significant environmental impact. To address this issue, Data4Group has implemented a sustainable program called Data4 Good to reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. They leverage artificial intelligence to optimize infrastructure for new densities and improve energy efficiency while reducing environmental impact.

Ensuring physical security is crucial for data centers. These facilities have redundant infrastructure designs and access control measures in place to protect client data. Clients are responsible for managing their data, and the data center team does not have access to it, ensuring client privacy and security. Overall, data centers play a vital role in enabling the digital economy and supporting the growth of online services for society.

In conclusion