Catalonia launches €1 billion AI Strategy to drive innovation, competitiveness, and responsible growth by 2030

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, announced yesterday the new Catalonia IA 2030 Strategy, a transformative initiative that will mobilize up to 1 billion euros over five years to turn artificial intelligence (AI) into a strategic national asset. 

"We have articulated a cross-cutting strategy in artificial intelligence that will mobilize 1 billion euros," President Illa said during the Smart Catalonia: AI to Transform the Future event held in Barcelona. "The objective is clear: to gain competitiveness, improve quality of life, and ensure shared prosperity, with responsible, ethical, and safe AI," he added.

The Catalunya AI 2030 Strategy, which will be approved today at the Executive Council meeting, "is more than a technological roadmap; it is an institutional, social, and economic commitment to the country's future," the President of the Generalitat explained. In the words of the head of the Executive, "In recent years, AI has crossed the borders of laboratories to settle in our homes, our schools, our businesses, and our administration. We are facing a change, and the Government of Catalonia assumes its responsibility to lead it. Not just to adapt to it, but to lead it."

“A 1 billion euros strategy to gain competitiveness, improve quality of life, and ensure shared prosperity, with responsible, ethical, and safe AI”

Salvador Illa, President of the Government of Catalonia

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During his speech, President Illa recalled that this new strategy responds "to the same spirit that inspires the entire set of policies of this Government: a spirit of long-term vision, rigorous work, and a willingness to serve the country." "A vision that understands that digital transformation is not an end in itself, but a lever for Catalonia to advance with more strength and cohesion," he added.

The strategy represents a leap forward and adapts to the new technological landscape shaped by the advent of generative AI. Catalonia aims to lead this change from an industrial, social, and democratic perspective, aligned with the Catalonia Leads Plan. The objective is to maximize the opportunities of AI, while recognizing its risks and equipping us with the necessary tools to address them responsibly.

The Catalonia AI 2030 Strategy aims to enhance the quality of life, boost business competitiveness, narrow the digital divide, and position Catalonia as a European benchmark for responsible AI.

Catalonia, a European benchmark in responsible AI

The strategy incorporates a rights impact assessment (FRIA) model, a public registry of AI systems, and adds a self-assessment and support service to the One-Stop Shop for businesses to ensure ethical and legal compliance. Additionally, outreach campaigns will be promoted to foster critical thinking and the responsible use of AI among citizens.

Likewise, it aims to leverage artificial intelligence as a catalyst for industrial transformation, providing direct support to more than 5,000 SMEs and self-employed individuals, testing spaces for innovation with guarantees, and creating AI gigafactories that will serve as engines of innovation and competitiveness in strategic sectors.

The strategy includes a commitment to applied artificial intelligence research through the creation of specialized centers and the development of projects in strategic sectors such as health, energy, and mobility, while also strengthening technological sovereignty in areas like chips, advanced computing, and generative AI.

Catalonia will also strengthen its international profile by participating in European consortia, engaging in scientific diplomacy, and collaborating with leading regions such as Bavaria, Quebec, Scotland, and Flanders.

AI in the service of people, businesses, and public services

With the motto "A responsible, ethical, and secure AI for shared prosperity," the strategy includes 88 concrete actions structured into 8 strategic pillars:

1. AI Infrastructures
2. AI Talent
3. AI Research
4. AI in Business
5. AI in the Public Sector
6. Ethics, Regulation, and Guarantees in the Use of AI
7. Digital Society
8. Global Projection of Catalan AI

Among the key actions included in the new strategy are:

AI Gigafactories

Catalonia will promote massive data and computing infrastructures, supporting projects such as the European gigafactory proposal with a site in Móra la Nova (Tarragona), to train AI models at scale. These facilities will act as engines for industrial innovation and technological transfer in sectors such as energy, mobility, and health.

Support for SMEs and freelancers

Financial aid, diagnostic and advisory services, and testing spaces (sandboxes) will be deployed to facilitate the adoption of AI in production processes, new business models, and exportable services.

Intensive talent training

With more than 100 training programs (degrees, master's degrees, bootcamps, microcredentials), it is expected to train over 10,000 people in AI skills, with the participation of more than 50 educational institutions. Professional retraining will also be promoted to adapt the industrial fabric to new digital challenges.

Sovereign Digital Infrastructure

A Catalan public cloud will be created to ensure the sovereignty of data and digital services, essential for strategic sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and the bioeconomy.

Innovative Public Procurement

The public sector will act as a driver of innovation, with more than 50 public procurement projects focused on AI solutions that improve management, decision-making, and the quality of services.

The Catalunya IA 2030 Strategy is a commitment to inclusive, sustainable AI that unites the territory, connecting research, business, education, and the public sector to build a digital future grounded in democratic values and equity.

The strategy comprises a Monitoring Committee, a Technical Secretariat, and working groups for each pillar, promoting public-private collaboration to ensure effective and inclusive implementation.