2023-10-13 19:51:14
The metropolitan area of Zaragoza has become a magnet for data centers. The Aragonese capital will concentrate the presence of digital bunkers after the recent announcement by Microsoft, which will implement three interconnected warehouses in the Recycling Technology Park (PTR), in La Muela and La Puebla de Alfindén. It will be in 2026 when the Microsoft cloud will foreseeably join that of Amazon Web Services (AWS)whose data centers El Burgo de Ebro, Villanueva de Gállego and the Huesca Logistics Platform They plugged into the network and introduced Aragón to the select club of lands connected to the cloud.
Microsoft’s commitment to locating its mammoth projects in this territory makes the community emerge as the epicenter in Spain of a booming sector in Europe. However, it is Zaragoza that with its spider web has been left with the largest piece of the investment pie of two of the three largest global operators in the cloud business, called hyperscalar in computer jargon. The location in the environment of Zaragoza It is due to the energetic strengths that are one of the decisive keys, both due to the enormous capacity of renewable generation and the quality of transportation and electricity supply infrastructure. But this is not the only reason for such a landing of multinationals.
One of the keys is the low price of industrial land and the excellent connections in what telecommunications is concerned. Some of the main fiber optic highways that cross the country run around the Aragonese capital, facilitating the connectivity of warehouses with the communities where most of the national GDP is concentrated.
The truth is that Microsoft’s announcement has aroused notable expectations in the technology sector and in the environments where these facilities will be located, which, although Microsoft has not confirmed the locations, this newspaper was able to learn that land has already been purchased in the PTR industrial estate, near the Zaragoza rural neighborhood of La Cartuja, La Muela and La Puebla de Alfindén. In the case of the latter, the mayors cautiously welcome the call from this newspaper, as they assure that “no one” has confirmed to them the landing of the multinational technology company founded by Bill Gates, although they do not deny that they have held conversations both with the Government of Aragón as with Microsoft itself.
Prudence among mayors
“If it is true that they are coming, it will be a total and absolute shock, especially to attract companies and so that young people can train in a sector that is on the rise like computing and staying here,” says the mayor of La Puebla de Alfindén, Pilar Villanueva (PP). Adrián Tello, the councilor of La Muela (CHA), agrees with the statement, expressing the municipality’s “expectation” regarding the news, in the absence of official confirmation.
The sensations are also very positive in the technology sector of Aragon, which welcomes the arrival with open arms from another titan like Microsoft for the contribution it can have to the growth of this activity, but, above all, for the opportunity it represents for the community to specialize in the digital economy.
The proximity to a first-class fiber optic highway is key to the location, as well as the enormous capacity for green energy production through renewables.
However, the experts and agents consulted are also pragmatic when it comes to assessing the positive effects of the implementation of a data center. “Wow, this is nothing to shout about, nor can the importance of these investments be underestimated.“, point out consolidated sources in the sector.
“It’s a really interesting and relevant ad. That large multinationals decide to invest in the community means putting us on the European digital map“said Félix Gil, president of the cluster of ICT, electronics and telecommunications companies of Aragon (Tecnara). More than the direct benefits they can provide, in his opinion, the important thing about these implementations is the potential they offer. “We should try to take advantage of it, both society and the Administration to create a culture of digitalization and promote entrepreneurship and training around cloud technology.
He also believes that the fruits “are not a matter of one day”, but will be collected in the long term. To this end, it advocates taking measures and policies, both in the private and public sectors, to get the most out of it. “The Administration, beyond the success achieved in attracting these large operators, has to take more steps to be able to capitalize on all the value that can be generated,” he maintains. In this sense, it is committed to investing more in schools and the training of children and young people in education. digital and STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). “If we teach them programming and technology from a young age, they will see possibilities that we are now unable to see,” he says.
Gil, also executive director (CEO) of the technology consulting firm Integra considers that the deployment of Microsoft and AWS must be taken advantage of “it is not only about creating technological talent, but also about recovering it.” The truth is that Aragon is now “more of an exporter than an importer” of qualified people. “These establishments can be an incentive for graduates who leave the university to stay here,” she points out. The difficulty in recruiting personnel is in fact the main problem in the sector ICT of the community, which currently has about 2,000 vacant job offers.
From the Aragonese innovation cluster IDiA they also applaud Microsoft’s announcement, but consider that the data centers themselves have a limited effect “if we do not go further.” Whether the project amplifies its benefits over the territory depends on the fact that around these infrastructures “an industry of developing services and products (software) will be generated,” says Antonio Novo, president of the entity.
In his opinion, we must wait for know the details of the concept of “campus” of data centers proposed by Microsoft. In any case, IDiA offers “full collaboration” to forge alliances with the local business environment that are of interest to the technology giant.
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The lack of transparency of these large operators does not help clarify the socioeconomic impact of their data centers. As with AWS, Microsoft has not yet detailed the direct employment it will generate at its facilities or the specific amount of the investment. Paradoxically, the kings of data storage are reluctant to provide detailed information about their plans. The company founded by Bill Gates simply points out that its project could “contribute” to the creation of more than 2,100 jobs specialized in technology between 2026 and 2030, presumably including indirect and induced jobs in this number.
The reality is that the direct workforce of this type of centers is usually between 50 and 75 employees, that is, the Microsoft cloud workforce in Aragon would be between 150 and 225 in total.
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