Big Data in Catalonia

In line with global trends, Big Data is a growing new industry in Catalonia (Southern Europe). Specifically, there are 220 companies in the sector today with a combined turnover of €250M and around 2,500 professionals.

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The Big Data Sector in Catalonia, the Growth of a New Industry.

According to the study Big Data in Catalonia, 61.4% of companies are less than ten years old and 38.2% of these companies are startups. Furthermore, 35.5% of the companies have a turnover of more than one million euros and 12.7% have a turnover of more than ten million euros.

It is also worth mentioning that within the Catalan value chain 64.1% of companies are dedicated to data analytics while the remaining 38.2% are technology providers. The ecosystem itself is also supplemented by companies with sector-based vertical applications, including those dealing in e-commerce and in health. You can search our database to find Catalan suppliers in the Big Data sector.

A focus for new investment in Catalonia (Southern Europe)

As regards FDI, between 2016 and 2020, Catalonia (Southern Europe) has proved itself to be the leading investment region in Spain with 71% of all capital invested, which translates into 33.3% of FDI projects, and 43.7% of jobs created. These investments largely came from the US, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Japan. Examples of the companies behind these investments are Zurich, Everis, Ocado, and Red Sift.

An active ecosystem

Supporting the industry in Catalonia one can find a wide range of technology and research centers such as the Catalan technology center, Eurecat, and the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), a non-profit research institution.
Furthermore, two smart labs involved in this field are the Barcelona Autonomous University Research Park and The Collider, an innovation program of Mobile World Capital Barcelona.
Barcelona (Catalonia) also hosts various events in the area such as the IOT Solutions World Congress, the Smart City Expo World Congress, and the AI & Big Data Congress. Furthermore, the sector enjoys the active support of the public administration.

“Catalonia is the leading investment region for Big Data in Spain with 71% of all capital invested, which translates into 33.3% of FDI projects, and 43.7% of jobs created”

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220 companies
€250M in turnover
2,493 employees

Big Data Centres in Catalonia

Catalonia leads Europe’s Big Data sector. Significant Big Data centers are present in the region, such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, specializing in high-performance computing (HPC) and managing MareNostrum, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe. Other players are the Technological Telecommunications Centre of Catalonia, a public R&D+i center; DATASCIENCE@UB, a research and technology transfer center involved in Big Data technologies and advanced data analytics; and i2CAT Foundation, an applied research body in the field of the Internet and advanced digital technologies.

A growing pool of talent

Despite still being a very young technology, Catalonia has made training in Big Data widely accessible. There are over 25 master’s degrees, courses, and post-graduate studies on Big Data to train professionals in this increasingly more sought-after sector. Examples of this are Esade’s Executive Master’s Degree in Business Analytics and the Barcelona Pompeu Fabra University’s Master’s Degree in Data Science.

Local success cases

Two companies that have successfully harnessed the use of Big Data in Catalonia are worth mentioning. Holaluz, a 100% renewable energy provider established in Barcelona in 2010, uses data primarily to forecast the daily energy consumption of its customers as well as to calculate flat rates or power optimizers.
NetApp, a leading US data storage company, also is present in Catalonia. It specializes in content and globalization strategies within the technology sector. In 2020, the firm opened a new Digital Sales Hub in Barcelona providing support to its sales teams in the EMEA region.