Spain is witnessing a strong push toward digital transformation that translates into tangible bets on artificial intelligence. In November, Carmen Artigas, the Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, spoke with optimism about the nation’s tech sector and the role AI will play as a driver of economic growth for years ahead. This confidence reflects a broader belief that AI will power efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness across companies and industries from logistics to manufacturing, and from data analysis to smart automation. Artificial intelligence is increasingly seen as the key to turning vast data, cloud capabilities, and big data insights into real improvements across the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The result is greater interdependence and faster digitization of workflows, with more factories aiming to optimize the production chain and lift productivity and competitiveness across the economy.
New findings from the National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI) show that 8% of Spanish companies already deploy AI in production, marketing, and sales processes, with annual growth around 1%. Although this is a solid start, it remains short of the trajectory laid out by national ambitions. Spain Digital 2025 envisions a future where as much as a quarter of companies embrace these technologies, while the European Commission has a much higher target, aiming for 75% adoption by 2030.
accelerated deployment
The year 2022 brought encouraging signals. The Global Artificial Intelligence Adoption Index 2022, produced by IBM, found that up to 31% of Spanish firms had integrated AI to reduce costs and automate production. Yet later data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in October trimmed that figure to 12.6%. Still, the trend toward deployment remains robust, especially among larger players.
Analytics firm Iberinform reports 185 Spanish companies now offer AI solutions, a 16% year over year rise. Madrid accounts for about 67% of AI companies, with Catalonia in second place at 16%. Data from ACCIÓ, presented by Roger Torrent of Empresa i Treball de la Generalitat, shows that roughly 23.4% of Catalonia’s 291 technology startups are already focused on artificial intelligence, marking AI as the second largest tech cluster after biotechnology.
Increase with European funds
The accelerated AI push is mirrored in public policy. Late last year, the government and partners approved five million euros to establish Spain’s Artificial Intelligence Supervision Agency, to be headquartered in A Coruña, with a mandate to study and mitigate AI related risks.
The supervision agency will leverage Next Generation EU funds to accelerate AI adoption. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy plans to allocate around 500 million euros in recovery funds to drive AI development across multiple sectors. Of that total, 278 million has already been approved for research, deployment, and the advancement of secure, environmentally sustainable algorithms that support a digital and ecological transition. In March, the Economic Recovery and Transformation Strategic Project (PERTE) approved a plan to create an AI that understands Spanish, Catalan, and other official languages of the State.
All of these moves position Spain within a growing global market for AI. IDC’s Price Data Report indicates a 27% annual growth in AI investment, targeting 1.4 billion euros by 2025. Nearly half of the country’s largest companies are already considering adopting AI, signaling broad industry momentum.
Overall, the trajectory shows a country intent on turning AI into a mainstream driver of economic growth. The narrative of digital transformation is reinforced by government strategy, private sector momentum, and European funding, all aimed at expanding AI adoption across production, logistics, and services.
In another layer of momentum, Spain continues to map a path for AI that respects linguistic diversity and regional strengths. The ongoing emphasis on multilingual AI capabilities, combined with targeted investments in security and sustainable technologies, suggests a future where AI-enabled efficiency is a common feature across Spanish industry and beyond. Researchers and policymakers alike point to a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate productivity while safeguarding ethical and environmental considerations.