Catalonia to invest €1bn in artificial intelligence schemes until 2030

The Catalan government is planning to invest €1 billion in several artificial intelligence programs until 2030, as president Salvador Illa announced on Monday.

Among the projects planned are creating a public-owned cloud service, improving high-speed network across the territory, promoting several university degrees in AI, building infrastructure to develop top-notch chips, and reducing by 40% the time to receive authorities' greenlights for AI projects.

The Catalan cloud is part of a cabinet plan to "diversify" the available online storage options. During 2026, the government will launch a public tender for a cloud service "made in Catalonia," with a €120 million budget to keep all data in the territory, especially "the most sensitive information."

Among the interests, there are prioritizing the needs of the agriculture and food industries, transport and mobility, renewable energies, health, biomedicine, and tourism.

Most of the financial support will come from the Catalan government, with a small fraction privately funded.

Illa also said that around €60 million will be focused on funding "digital infrastructure with more capacity, intelligence, and increasing by 20% the operation." Around €200 million will guarantee optical fiber and 5G connectivity across Catalonia, and €40 million for all degrees to have around 250 students in the short term.

The goal is to "transform AI as an important strategic tool" with the goal of "gaining in competitiveness and improving well-being and guaranteeing prosperity."

The proposal will be debated on Tuesday at the weekly cabinet meeting, and funding is already secured, despite the government not passing a 2025 budget. The cabinet estimates that around 5,000 small and medium-sized companies and freelancers will benefit from these schemes.

Around 30,000 public workers and 90,000 civilians will be trained.