Countries / Europe
Spain
Spain hosts a EuroHPC AI Factory in Barcelona while a draft decree would tie new data centres to renewable supply and EU-based operation.
The government opened a fast-track public consultation on 27 August 2026 for a royal decree covering data centres above 1 MW. As drafted, operators would need to match most hourly consumption with newly built renewable supply, meet top efficiency and water classes under EU rules, be established in the EU and keep operational data there. It is a draft and could change. For someone seeking compute, public AI capacity is available through the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre AI Factory, while private builders face possible new conditions on grid connection.
AI policy and activity
Spain is a host of a EuroHPC AI Factory at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, built on an upgraded MareNostrum 5 and aimed at start-ups, SMEs and the public sector. Its services include access to AI-optimised HPC resources, technical support, data and software access and training.
Power and grid
The draft decree would make proof of renewable matching a condition of grid connection rights for data centres above 1 MW, with penalties on network charges for non-compliance. Existing projects would have a short window to comply.
Data centres and compute
| Site | Where | Status | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| MareNostrum 5 (BSC AI Factory) Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion (BSC-CNS) | Barcelona | Operating | EuroHPC describes the AI Factory as using an upgraded MareNostrum 5 for large language model training and inference. (source) |
Rules and programmes
| Instrument | Kind | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft royal decree on data centre sustainability and sovereignty | Law | Consultation | Ministry press note of 27 August 2026 says the draft is in urgent public consultation and links grid connection rights for installations over 1 MW to renewable matching, efficiency and EU-establishment tests. |
| EuroHPC AI Factory: BSC AI Factory | Programme | In force | EuroHPC page describing the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre AI Factory and the services it offers to start-ups, SMEs and public bodies. |
Checked on 2 October 2026 and due for review by 1 January 2027. Many sources are trade press or law-firm summaries rather than official texts, and statuses such as reported or unconfirmed are shown as the source gives them. This is a summary, not legal advice. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us.