Amazon and Microsoft put Aragón at the center of their technological investments in Europe

Aragón is in the spotlight of the main technology companies worldwide. The latest billion-dollar investments by giants such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft leave no doubt that the Community has made a more than important place for itself on the map of the sector, as both companies have shown during the first day of the congress. “ The Wave ”, with which Aragón wants to show the world that he is prepared to take the leap and ride the wave of new technologies .

In addition to the native companies in Aragon such as DXC , Integra or Hiberus , Amazon Web Services led the way with the confirmation of its three data centers in Villanueva de Gállego , El Burgo de Ebro and Huesca , which represented an investment of 2.5 billion euros in ten years. Facilities that, as explained by Susana Curic, Country Leader of AWS Iberia, house “ computer rooms and rooms ”, which are the “base of all systems” and that provide total agility to data management.

This was the eighth AWS Region in Europe and, to be chosen, the company took into account a multitude of factors and situations, which resulted in Aragon being the ideal location for these three data centers, and others that may be on the way. “Because of the large land available, the access to renewable energy and talent, and how the Government and local society have welcomed us, with open arms and facilitating our arrival. Aragon is becoming a European benchmark in southern Europe . When we analyzed the location, Aragón came out first on the list,” Curic explained.

“ARAGON IS STRATEGIC” ​​FOR MICROSOFT

For its part, Microsoft is also preparing its big landing in Aragon, with two data centers already confirmed in Zaragoza, in the Recycling Technology Park ( PTR ), and in La Muela , each with an investment of 2.5 billion euros, and with a clear message from the president of Microsoft Spain, Alberto Granados, that “there will be more.” “We want to cover the cloud in different data center campuses, guaranteeing national sovereignty, cybersecurity and providing all the clouds we offer. We have had a hectic year in Europe. Aragon is one of the areas of greatest attention and where we put a special focus”, he highlighted during his intervention in “The Wave”.

Like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft chose Aragon to “ serve all of southern Europe ” due to its geographical environment, its capacity to produce renewable energy, the communications network or its talent. “The digital talent that exists and the possibilities to grow it were important, and the network of 300 partners to make this cloud have solutions within the reach of any SME. The cloud must be close to companies so that they can benefit from the advantages of artificial intelligence,” Granados explained.

In this sense, one of the issues that has flown over the first day in “The Wave” is the uncertainty around employment, a debate that the president of Microsoft Spain settles. “Not only have jobs not been destroyed, but they have been built. There will be tasks that can be automated, others that cannot be delegated, and others in the middle, where I suggest using AI . There are two great advantages, and that is that we are eliminating the glass ceiling, and that this is ageless. People over 46 years old are better at asking and delegating,” he added.

AZCÓN COMMITS TO DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN ARAGON

The arrival of these two technological giants was, in the opinion of the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón , great news not only because of the investments and job creation, but also because of their driving capacity for new projects. “It puts us on the map. Just as after one great technology company came another, we hope that many others come to the community to continue investing in data, computing and artificial intelligence,” he said, in a speech in which he announced the creation of a large technology park in community.

CHUECA WANTS TO LEAD THE “MAIN” TECHNOLOGICAL HUB IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

The mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca , was in charge of opening the afternoon session detailing the city’s work to become the “main” technological hub in southern Europe, framed in a strategic city project. “We want to provide legal security to companies so that all those who want to come and put their new technologies into practice find all the facilities. We are making progress in having the city sensorized, but we need to normalize the data and make it available to citizens . It is important that these applications always put citizens at the center,” she explained.