Industrial Systems & Digitalization ecosystem in Catalonia

With Barcelona ranked among the world’s leading tech cities outside capital hubs, and Catalonia as a whole positioned as the 2nd favorite EU hub for founders for setting up a startup, Catalonia’s wide-ranging digital economy creates the ideal environment for any tech-based company.

Find your supplier in Industrial Systems & Digitalization

Catalonia’s industrially based and tech-focused Digital Economy make it a European tech haven.

In Barcelona-Catalonia, technology companies join a network of more than 28,000 companies operating in the digital and technology sector, a 13% year-on-year increase, according to The technology and digital sector in Catalonia, published by Catalonia Trade & Investment 

Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, NTT Data, HP, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Porsche Digital have established digital innovation hubs and operations centers in Catalonia. In fact, 38 of the world’s 50 leading innovative companies are present in the region.

Catalonia also ranks among the world’s top 10 regions for attracting foreign investment projects in the technology and digital sector over the past five years, with 388 projects between 2021 and 2025.

And the numbers support this momentum. The digital and technology sector generates a combined turnover of more than €41.4 billion, having surpassed the €40 billion threshold for the first time, with growth of 4.7% since 2023. The sector currently employs 218,598 people, representing 10% growth compared to the previous year.

Notably, the sector continues to expand structurally: 46% of digital and technology companies were founded less than 10 years ago, underlining the dynamism of the ecosystem.

The Catalan ICT sector stands out in Spain, with 22.8% of all the companies in the sector and 21.2% of the total number of workers in Spain. 
 

Testimonials from Catalonia's
Industrial & Digitalization sector.

  • ORACLE

    Joan Planella

    Director of Oracle's Barcelona Office

    "Barcelona is a fantastic city for its combination of economic growth, location, weather, and quality of life. At Oracle in Barcelona, we have a variety of technical profiles from more than 40 nationalities. From here, we are covering Europe.”

  • RICOH

    Anna Vázquez

    Digital Solutions & Services Director at Ricoh Spain

    "Barcelona has always had the perfect context for attracting talent and also businesses. So, Barcelona has become a perfect technological hub; there is a very nice ecosystem for companies like us to work here, develop our talent, and work with universities and associations.”

  • ALLIANZ TECHNOLOGY

    Gerard Esparducer

    Director of Allianz Technology's Spain Hub

    “Barcelona and Catalonia offer sustainable growth, smart talent, and competitive advantages with minimal risks. We currently employ around 600 people from more than 53 nationalities.”

  • SONY AI

    Tarek Besold

    Senior Research Scientist at Sony AI

    "Catalonia is attractive because a lot of talent is already on the ground. The region produces a lot of highly qualified computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering talent, which is due to the university ecosystem and the overall education background.”

  • 28,122 companies

  • €41.5B in turnover

  • 218,598 employees

Foreign investment

Internationally, Catalonia is firmly positioned on the global technology investment radar. Over the 2021–2025 period, Catalonia ranked among the top 10 regions worldwide for attracting foreign investment projects in the technology and digital sector.

During this period, Catalonia attracted 388 foreign technology investment projects, a 32% increase compared with the previous five-year period. Total foreign investment in the sector reached €9.3 billion, representing 165% growth compared with 2016–2020. The leading countries by invested capital are the United States (€2.1B), the United Kingdom (€1.9B), Germany (€1.5B), France (€577M), and Japan (€353M). 

Catalonia ranks as the second region in the European Union, behind only Île-de-France, and eighth globally in terms of the number of technology and digital investment projects received. Barcelona, meanwhile, is the second most attractive city in the world for foreign investment in R&D, according to the Global Cities Investment Monitor.

Given all of the above, it is no surprise that Catalonia is recognized as the largest startup ecosystem in southern Europe, with more than 2,400 startups, and that Barcelona ranks as the leading city in the EU and third globally for attracting foreign investment projects in artificial intelligence, according to IBM.

 

Main players and events in
Industrial Systems & Digitalization.

Check below which are the main institutions and events related to industrial systems & digitalization in Barcelona-Catalonia.

Related success stories
in Barcelona (Catalonia).