Southern Catalonia to host one of EU's first four AI gigafactories

One of Europe’s first artificial intelligence gigafactories could be established in Móra la Nova, a small town in southern Catalonia. 

The Spanish government officially proposed the location on Friday after a surprise meeting between Spanish PM and Catalan president Salvador Illa.  

The two governments are reportedly engaged in “fluid and discreet” dialogue to advance the project. 

If selected, the facility would be the only AI gigafactory in Spain and one of just four or five planned across the European Union.  

The initiative would require around €5 billion in public and private investment. 

The project is part of the EU’s broader strategy to establish itself as a global leader in computational power, backed by a €20 billion fund.  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the initiative in February as a step toward technological sovereignty and competitiveness in AI. 

The Spanish government said the project would position Spain at the forefront of developing sovereign, sustainable, and high-performance AI capabilities. 

The consortium behind the project is led by Spanish telecom giant Telefónica and includes major players such as ACS, MasOrange, Nvidia, Submer, and Multiverse Computing.  

Public sector participation includes the Spanish Agency for Technological Transformation, under the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function. 

Government sources also confirmed that negotiations are underway to bring in a significant international investment partner to further strengthen the proposal.