Glenn Wickman
THE provinces of Alicante and Valencia are set to become major players in a nationwide boom in data centres that is predicted to bring an estimated €3 billion to Spain over the next five years.
Data processing infrastructure is said to be the next big investment market in the country, as the ongoing digitalisation of every area of life, mainly financial operations, requires these servers to deal with the surge in online traffic.
Investors are already looking for opportunities outside of the traditional hotspots of Madrid and Barcelona, and Valencia and Alicante have a huge advantage over other potential sites – namely the sea, which allows for submarine cable connections.
Analysts also suggest cheaper living and business costs compared to the Spanish and Catalan capitals, plus recent efforts by the Generalitat regional government to boost digitalisation, creating the necessary framework for a sector that requires a high level of specialisation.
Data centres store all the information digitalised by companies, some of which are operative 99.99% of the time – meaning they are only switched off for 26 minutes once a year.
This means potential investors look for areas with backup electricity supplies and complementary fibreoptic networks, among other technical requirements.
And the Generalitat is acting fast to become a prime destination for this type of infrastructure, with the aim of attracting a substantial fraction of the €3 billion investment predicted over the next few years.
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