Catalonia now has 488 AI companies, almost three times more than in 2019, the last year for which data is available. This is one of the main conclusions of the study “Artificial Intelligence in Catalonia”, undertaken by the Government of Catalonia.
Artificial intelligence currently generates a turnover of 2.155 billion euros (60% more than in 2019), the highest among exponential new technologies in Catalonia, a figure that represents 0.8% of the country’s GDP. The almost 500 Catalan companies engaged in this technology currently generate 14,525 jobs, an increase of 71%.
The Government’s support for the development of this technology in Catalonia is active, having already backed 253 AI projects by Catalan companies since 2017 with grants totalling 16 million euros.
The study analyses the concept of artificial intelligence, which it defines as the ability of a machine to display capabilities similar to human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, planning and creativity. In this respect, it points out that artificial intelligence includes various disciplines such as machine learning, artificial neural networks, deep learning and generative artificial intelligence, which takes raw data and learns to generate high quality content with it.
In Catalonia, this ecosystem has experienced substantial growth since the last version of the study, in 2019, with a use that focuses on areas such as machine learning (used by 58% of companies) or AI platforms (32% of cases).
By sector of application, services, which include leisure, retail and marketing activities, is the area where this technology is most used (45% of cases). In second place, 41% of companies develop solutions for industry, Finally, in third place are solutions for the health sector. Companies working with artificial intelligence also provide applications for other sectors such as finance, mobility, resource management, or the cultural sphere.
Regarding the detail of the artificial intelligence ecosystem in Catalonia, 44% of the companies that comprise it are start-ups with a high capacity to attract investment. In fact, Barcelona is the leading city in funding rounds for artificial intelligence start-ups in southern Europe, attracting an average of 2.1 million euros every 18 days.
It is also a business ecosystem with an outstanding capacity to generate business. In this regard, 39% of the companies have a turnover of more than one million euros and 17% generate more than 10 million euros a year.
A dynamic, comprehensive and attractive environment
The artificial intelligence ecosystem in Catalonia, aside from the nearly five hundred companies that comprise it, is nourished by a diversity of elements that make it one of the most attractive on the European landscape.
Indeed, Catalonia is the fifth region on the continent and the first in southern Europe in terms of attracting direct foreign investment in this technology between 2019 and 2023. Specifically, 31 projects worth 475 million euros were attracted, generating more than 3,000 jobs. During this period, leading multinationals in the development of AI such as NTT Data, Microsoft, Apple, GFT and Sanofi have invested in Catalonia to create some of their projects here. In fact, of the 140 international technology hubs established in Catalonia, 87% are focused on artificial intelligence.
