In the main picture, from left to right: José Luis Escrivá, Minister of Digital Transformation; Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government; Brad Smith, President of Microsoft Corp; Carol Ann Browne, Brad Smith’s Chief of Staff; Alberto Granados, President of Microsoft in Spain; and Natalia Escobedo, Director of Public Sector for Microsoft in Spain.
- The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, have defined a framework for collaboration in the application of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Administration and the reinforcement of national cybersecurity.
- Microsoft plans to quadruple its investments in Spain by 2023, reaching $2.1 billion by the end of 2025.
As part of Microsoft’s commitment to promote digital innovation and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that benefits Spanish companies and public administrations, the company plans to quadruple its investments in Artificial Intelligence and Cloud infrastructure in Spain during 2024-2025, to reach $2.1 billion dollars. This is Microsoft’s largest investment in Spain in its 37 years of presence in the country.
Microsoft will soon open a Cloud Region of Data Centers located in the Community of Madrid, and has announced its intention to build a Data Center Campus in Aragon that will serve European companies and public entities. This infrastructure will provide Microsoft’s cloud services with the maximum guarantee of security, privacy and data sovereignty, and will make the company’s entire range of Artificial Intelligence solutions available to Spanish and European companies and public administrations. Microsoft’s data centers in Spain could also add $8.4 billion Euros to the national GDP and contribute to the creation of 69,000 jobs in the period 2026 – 2030, according to an analysis by IDC.
This investment commitment is part of the collaboration framework established today by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Chairman of Microsoft, Brad Smith. Microsoft and the Government of Spain will work together on the application of Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the improvement of citizen services, the promotion of AI-based innovation, as well as in the reinforcement of national cybersecurity and the cyber-resilience of Spanish companies, public bodies and critical infrastructure.
This collaboration is established within the framework of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the National Cybersecurity Strategy defined by the Government of Spain, which is focused on four lines of action:
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- Extension of the use of Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration. With the aim of modernizing administrative processes and providing civil servants with the necessary AI tools to increase their efficiency and effectiveness, best practice will be shared both for the deployment of Generative Artificial Intelligence solutions in Public Administration, as well as for Artificial Intelligence training plans for civil servants, aligned with the strategic use cases of AI for specific roles defined by the Ministry for the Digital Transformation and the Civil Service.
- Promotion of the use of Responsible AI. Microsoft will share its Responsible AI design standards, as well as implementation guides and additional documentation on best practice in this area, with the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA).
- Strengthening national cybersecurity. In order to strengthen national cybersecurity and in particular, the cyber-resilience of critical infrastructure, Microsoft and the National Cryptologic Center of the National Intelligence Center (CNI-CCN) will jointly explore the improvement of early warning and response mechanisms to computer security incidents in public administrations.
- Improving the cyber-resilience of companies. With the aim of improving the security of Spanish companies and especially Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Microsoft will collaborate with the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) to offer access to telemetry and global information on potential threats and cyberattacks that may affect Spanish companies and public administrations. Joint dissemination actions in the field of cybersecurity will also be established, aimed at SMEs and citizens.
