The tech sector is experiencing something of a golden age

The tech sector is experiencing something of a golden age, as all industries move to digitalize processes as a way to increase productivity and competitiveness in the dawn of Industry 4.0. Popular developments include cloud technology, blockchain, big data, and AI software.

Although Madrid is growing in this regard and is now home to more than 1,235 tech start-ups, Barcelona is the area receiving most attention as an international hub for technology. This is true both in terms of ideas born there and many startups moving there as a base from which to scale up their companies. According to the Barcelona City Hall’s official figures, in 2017 jobs in the ICT sector represented 5.1% of jobs, with over 54,000 workers in the sector.

Perhaps the most significant development in the sphere in recent years is that Barcelona was chosen to be the first open lab for 5G in Europe. The regional government is prioritizing this evolution, testament to which is its creation of a regional government department of digital policy, the first of its kind in Catalonian history. We spoke to the regional Minister for Digital Policy, Jordi Puigneró, who detailed the region’s commitment to putting the digital revolution high on the political agenda, focusing on five lines of action.

In this chapter, we spoke to a variety of companies that are revolutionizing the sector, including Carlos Grau from Mobile World Capital, an association dedicated to developing technology in the region and holding events, including Europe’s leading world mobile congress. Another notable interviewee is Mateo Valero, Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, home to the MareNostrum IV, which has committed to research in general and the development of European technology in particular.

Collaboration between such companies in the sector is now considered central to its continued evolution. As a result, spaces that group together like companies and promote knowledge sharing, such as 22@ and Barcelona Tech City, are becoming more and more significant in the city’s technological ecosystem.

The most pressing problem in the sector, both across Spain and internationally, is that of human talent in terms of training and retaining. As demands for qualified employees both grow and diversify, the education system is struggling to respond quickly enough to industry demands.

Another challenge is that of growing cybersecurity concerns, calling for a stronger regulatory framework from public administrations to tackle such outcomes. This is particularly pressing considering that public administrations are potentially the most vulnerable in terms of cybersecurity attacks. ✖