Silicon Valley and Microsoft, Chueca’s first contact in the United States

The business trip of the Mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, to the United States has started off on a high note. As planned, the highest-ranking official from Zaragoza made her first stop in the geographic area with the highest concentration of technological development and business innovation in the world: Silicon Valley . Chueca’s first contact with the American country allowed her to visit the Microsoft campus there. This company, which this year celebrates its half-century of creation, has seen its history as a testament to the development of technology and its rapid adoption in society worldwide since its founding by Paul Allen and Bill Gates. 

Inside the Microsoft complex , where around 1,600 people work, the mayor held a four-hour agenda at the Experience Center, a space promoting innovation, collaboration, and respect for the environment. The Experience Centers house state-of-the-art meeting facilities, an Innovation Factory for technical sessions, and a Visualization Theater where clients and partners embark on industry-scenario-based experiences to visualize solutions . 

As head of Zaragoza City Council, Natalia Chueca had the opportunity to learn about some of the latest innovations Microsoft is proposing as technological solutions to urban challenges. First, the mayor held an executive meeting with the company’s Global Director of Community Affairs, Gaby DelaGarza, one of the central focuses of this visit. 

Next, she learned more about the company’s strategy regarding artificial intelligence , with immersive experiences applying the technology that prioritize sustainability. First, there was a session about Azure AI Foundry, a Microsoft platform for creating and developing AI-based applications, focusing on innovation and use cases, security and cybersecurity, and application management . This was followed by a summary session of the immersive experiences the company has worked on at the Experience Center Americas West. 

The second session focused on another experience based on the sustainability history of the Microsoft Campus in Silicon Valley. On this occasion, Natalia Chueca learned in detail about some of the milestones in this area and Microsoft’s responsible water management, being the first technology campus with Net-Zero Water certification in this epicenter of innovation. The measures created to achieve this goal have allowed 100% of the buildings’ non-potable water to come from rain or recycled water on-site, the creation of 1.6 hectares of living green roof, commitments to the local community and a visit to the water treatment plant along with the building’s sustainability integration systems. 

COMMITMENT TO ZARAGOZA

One of the pillars driving the transformation of Zaragoza and its surrounding areas into a benchmark for data center investment in Southern Europe has been Microsoft’s commitment to this region. The total investment forecast for the next fifteen years is €10 billion and the creation of between 900 and 1,200 jobs. 

These figures include the Zaragoza centers in La Muela and Villamayor de Gállego. Furthermore, the company is celebrating its second year contributing to citizen training in artificial intelligence. The city council announced last January that the number of places will be doubled by 2025. Following the success of the first experience, in which nearly 200 people participated, this technological alliance has been strengthened to strengthen the digital skills in the use of AI among unemployed people and entrepreneurs with an additional 350 places. “Ruta AI GEN” consists of 12 courses at Etopia throughout 2025, lasting 35 hours and with the possibility of obtaining an official Microsoft certification.