Co-authored by Antonio A. Conde,
Innovation and Digitization Nation Chief at Cisco
As Cisco celebrates ten years of Nation Digital Acceleration, Spain stands out as a vibrant instance of what’s attainable when imaginative and prescient, partnership, and innovation come collectively. Nation Digital Acceleration has been the driving pressure behind Spain’s digital journey, setting the tempo for transformation that touches each sector and neighborhood.
Nation Digital Acceleration (CDA) is Cisco’s international initiative to co-invest with nationwide governments, business, and academia to speed up digital progress, inclusion, and competitiveness. In Spain, this program is called Cisco Digitaliza—and since 2018, it has develop into a catalyst for progress, aligning with the nationwide Spain Digital Agenda 2026 and the targets of the Subsequent Era EU restoration funds.
Driving affect: Seven years of progress in Spain
Once we take a look at Spain’s digital panorama at this time, the numbers inform a narrative of fast evolution.
The nation’s tech ecosystem has expanded by 22%, now encompassing almost 8,600 corporations and producing over €14.8 billion in financial affect [i]. Enterprise funding in deep-tech rose by almost 46% in 2023 alone [ii], and Spain’s GDP continues to develop—reaching round 3.2% in 2024, one of many quickest charges within the eurozone [iii].
Behind these numbers is the work of CDA, driving over 114 initiatives throughout key sectors to construct digital expertise, modernize companies, and safe important infrastructure.
This system’s success could be attributed to its strategic deal with clearly outlined affect areas:
Creating digital expertise
A cornerstone of this system’s affect has been the expansion of the Cisco Networking Academy. Greater than 470K individuals in Spain have been skilled in networking, cybersecurity, IoT, and programming, opening new doorways for youth, girls, and professionals looking for to upskill in a fast-changing economic system. These efforts don’t simply construct resumes—they construct confidence, create alternatives, and empower communities. Many a protracted and profitable profession in tech has began on the Cisco Networking Academy.
Modernizing public companies
CDA has helped deliver digital innovation to school rooms, clinics, and authorities workplaces throughout Spain. From safe, related school rooms and telemedicine options to AI-assisted diagnostics and IoT-based emergency administration, these initiatives have helped enhance the standard and effectivity of companies that contact thousands and thousands of lives. The initiatives have targeted on utilizing expertise to drive productiveness and enhance affected person outcomes. When public companies are trendy and resilient, everybody advantages.
Securing important infrastructure
Digital transformation calls for belief. Working with authorities businesses and business leaders, CDA has introduced superior cybersecurity applied sciences and coaching to guard Spain’s important companies—power, healthcare, transportation, and extra. These efforts imply that as Spain turns into extra related, it additionally turns into extra resilient to cyber threats.
Innovation Milestones
Semiconductor design middle in Barcelona 
In 2023, CDA helped launch a state-of-the-art semiconductor design middle in Barcelona. This facility is growing superior chips for connectivity, cybersecurity, and high-performance computing, positioning on the coronary heart of Europe’s semiconductor worth chain and supporting technological sovereignty throughout the continent. With the launch of CDA 3, this design middle will develop into much more related and strategic to the area’s innovation ecosystem.
Pioneering quantum-safe cryptography
Recognizing the safety challenges posed by quantum computing, Cisco’s CDA program has spearheaded quantum-safe cryptography initiatives in Spain. These initiatives deliver collectively public establishments and main universities to develop and pilot cryptographic protocols which are resilient to quantum algorithms—serving to safeguard important information for years to return. The groups have additionally begun assessing current programs for compliance with rising international safety requirements, supporting Spain’s ongoing efforts to bolster nationwide cyber resilience. By investing early in quantum-safe applied sciences, CDA ensures Spain stays forward of future threats and helps set benchmarks for different nations
AI and Giga Factories
Spain’s dedication to next-generation industrial improvement is obvious within the rise of AI Factories and Giga Factories—large-scale, data-driven manufacturing and analysis hubs. By CDA, Cisco supplies the safe, clever digital infrastructure wanted to energy these factories, from high-speed connectivity and superior networking to automation and energy-efficient operations. CDA has fostered collaborations between authorities, business, and academia to create modern ecosystems that assist scalable synthetic intelligence functions, optimize manufacturing processes, and enhance Spain’s international competitiveness. These initiatives are serving to to determine Spain as a pacesetter in sensible manufacturing and AI-enabled business at scale.
Why it issues: Spain as a mannequin for digital transformation
In simply seven years, Cisco Digitaliza has helped Spain construct a digital ecosystem that’s extra expert, extra modern, and safer. This system’s collaborative mannequin—uniting public, personal, and educational companions—reveals what’s attainable once we put money into expertise for affect.
Wanting Forward
The story doesn’t finish right here. Cisco has renewed its dedication to the CDA program in Spain three extra years—reflecting our perception in Spain’s potential to steer in synthetic intelligence, quantum analysis, superior manufacturing, and past. We’re excited to maintain constructing a extra inclusive, related, and safe future. Discover extra about Cisco’s Nation Digital Acceleration journey and be part of us as we form what comes subsequent for Spain and past.
Sources:
[i] Spain’s tech growth: €14.8B affect, 8,580 startups — however the place are the ladies?
[ii] Quantitative Report on Deep Tech In Spain
[iii] Spain Full Yr GDP Progress
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