Spain continues to add digital infrastructure projects, and Catalonia has just entered the spotlight with a new announcement: Mediterra DataCenters, a regional data center platform for southern Europe, confirms its entry into the Spanish market after acquiring a “strategic” site in the industrial area of Barcelona and launching the development of a new data center that, if schedules are met, will be operational in the second half of 2027.
The company assures it has obtained the necessary approvals and already has a 12 MW electrical connection, a key detail at a time when energy availability—and not just land or fiber—is now the primary filter for any installation. In terms of installed “IT” capacity, Mediterra estimates the project at 8 MW, divided into 1.3 MW modules to facilitate phased deployment and scalability without waiting for the entire building to be fully loaded from day one.
A design focused on density, rapid scaling, and efficiency
Although the announcement does not detail architecture or anchor clients, the positioning is clear: the new hub is designed for AI and HPC (high-performance computing), two segments that push technical requirements beyond those typical of “classic” colocation. In practice, this usually translates into denser racks, more complex cooling demands, and stricter power planning because the margin for improvisation diminishes once per-room power starts to tighten.
In surface area, the project is described as an installation with approximately 9,700 m² of usable space. On the construction side, the company emphasizes a modular approach: growing in “blocks” allows aligning investment with actual demand and reduces the risk of over-sizing in the initial phase.
The “how” matters: energy, water, and waste heat recovery
One of Mediterra’s key focus areas is environmental impact. It states that the data center will run on 100% green energy, highlighting a closed-loop cooling system that prevents water evaporation often associated with traditional schemes. Additionally, it notes that the backup generators are prepared to operate with HVO100, a renewable fuel many industries are adopting as a lower-impact alternative to conventional diesel, especially in scenarios where on-site power continuity is necessary.
It is also mentioned that the design will facilitate residual heat recovery and exchange with local utilities. This is no minor detail: heat reuse is becoming a recurring theme (and regulatory focus) in Europe, particularly in locations where the energy impact of data centers is increasingly visible locally.
Barcelona as a hub: cables, latency, and a new balance with Madrid
The announcement comes at a time when the Spanish market is moving in two directions simultaneously: on one hand, Madrid remains a major interconnection and demand center; on the other, the Barcelona axis aims to strengthen its attractiveness as a complementary hub, especially for projects valuing proximity to industry, talent, and the local tech ecosystem.
Mediterra adds another argument: it believes southern Europe will benefit in the coming years from a significant increase in submarine cable capacity—a factor that, if confirmed at the projected scale, often has a direct impact on regional competitiveness: more international capacity, greater redundancy, and better routes for global traffic.
A strategically minded approach
Beyond the headline, this move reflects a trend continuing into 2026: regional operators and platforms are trying to position themselves in locations where three variables converge: energy, land/permits, and delivery time. In other words, success is not only about having better racks but about fitting the project within a realistic timeline with guaranteed energy supply.
So far, the company has not released investment figures nor detailed its clients, but the project framework hints at the types of conversations dominating the sector today: available power, phased scalability, compatibility with liquid cooling, and sustainability credentials robust enough to pass scrutiny from major buyers—including hyperscalers and companies with strict ESG policies.
If this plan is realized, the data center in the Barcelona area will join a growing list of developments reshaping the Spanish landscape: fewer “generic” announcements and more projects conceived from the start with AI, density, and efficiency in mind because that is where the market is heading.