Connect | Madrid // Invited Regions
Invited Region
With multimillion-dollar investments announced in recent years, Aragón is establishing itself as a benchmark in the data center sector in Spain, which has led to it being selected as the Invited Regions at DCD>Connect Madrid 2025.
The region is experiencing exponential growth, with an installed capacity of 108 MW in operation after the first development phase was launched. It is expected that Aragón will triple its capacity, reaching 340 MW and becoming the second-largest region in Spain for development in this industry, according to SpainDC.
Major tech companies such as AWS, Microsoft, and QTS are betting on Aragón for their expansion projects. AWS, for example, announced the development of its fourth facility at the El Reciclado Technological Park (Zaragoza) and a fifth one at the Walqa Technological Park (Huesca), with an investment of €15.7 billion through 2033. Microsoft has also added its third data center in Villamayor de Gállego, in addition to the other two planned at the El Reciclado Technological Park and La Muela. These projects have been declared of General Interest for Aragón (PIGA), underscoring their strategic importance.
On the other hand, QTS, owned by Blackstone, announced the construction of a 300 MW data center in Calatorao, while Box2bit, owned by Capital Energy, will invest €1 billion in the region’s first renewable self-consumption facility. The total secured capacity in this project is approximately 1,800 MW IT, a milestone dependent on the completion of the Microsoft, AWS, and QTS projects, according to Colliers.
With its vast capacity to offer large plots with available electricity supply, its significant renewable energy production (13% of Spain’s renewable energy), excellent connectivity, and support from local authorities, Aragón has created the ideal environment for the development of artificial intelligence and data centers in Southern Europe.
Invited Country
In this year’s edition of DCD>Connect Madrid, Italy has been selected as the invited country, a recognition of its growing importance in the data center sector in Southern Europe.
In recent years, Italy has seen a significant increase in digital infrastructure investments, establishing itself as an attractive destination for tech companies. It is estimated that the data center market in the country will reach 805.2 MW by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.37%, , according to Mordor Intelligence.
A notable example of this growth is AWS’s investment, which has announced plans to allocate over €1.2 billion over the next five years to expand its infrastructure in the region. According to the company, this investment is expected to contribute €880 million to Italy’s GDP and create around 5,500 jobs across various sectors, such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering, telecommunications, and the local economy in general.
Such initiatives position the country strategically for the development of technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence in Southern Europe, attracting both tech giants and new economic opportunities for Italy.
