In the race to host the next wave of cloud services, big data, and Artificial Intelligence, Spain is becoming an increasingly competitive battleground. In this landscape, Oxigen DC —headquartered in Sant Cugat del Vallès— has just made its move: the company has acquired from Banco Sabadell a data center with 10 MW in Sant Fruitós de Bages (Barcelona), a facility that it plans to bring online in the first half of 2026. This leap allows it to double capacity and reach 20 MW operational, while aiming to surpass 40 MW before the end of 2026.
This move aligns with a growing trend in the peninsula: repurposing infrastructure from the banking sector and adapting them to a market where the demand no longer just involves “hosting servers,” but also ensuring continuity, regulatory compliance, and margins for intensive workloads — from analytics to advanced computing environments. In finance, a data center isn’t just a building: it’s an operational safety net. For a specialized operator, this becomes a valuable foundation on which to build.
“Robust” centers for a resilient market
Oxigen DC emphasizes that these facilities stand out for their robustness and are designed for extreme scenarios: physical risks, redundancies, access controls, and an obsession with availability that in banking is not optional. In other words: infrastructure built so that service doesn’t go down when it’s most critical.
This argument gains weight at a time when many organizations — including large corporations and public administrations — are outsourcing critical services because operating a modern data center is increasingly complex. Not only due to power density or cooling issues, but also balancing cybersecurity, business continuity, audits, supply chain considerations, and energy pressures. True availability isn’t improvised.
In fact, Oxigen DC links this growth to the demand for secure, sovereign, high-performance digital infrastructure, claiming to have closed 2025 doubling sales, with a view to maintaining that pace over three years.
A plan to invest over 50 million euros focused on efficiency
The roadmap isn’t just about adding megawatts. The company plans an investment of over 50 million euros across the Iberian Peninsula, targeting both new facilities and technological improvements and energy efficiency. In a context where electrical power and permits can become bottlenecks, the nuance matters: growth no longer just involves buying land and building rooms; it requires negotiating energy, optimizing consumption, and designing for densities that seemed “exotic” five years ago.
Oxigen DC also highlights the value of proximity within the data center ecosystem. Its base in Sant Cugat benefits from close proximity to Barcelona and key connectivity nodes, such as the Barcelona Cable Landing Station, a strategic element to reduce latency and facilitate interconnection.
Ready for emerging workloads: from AI to quantum computing
Beyond the headline of the acquisition, the company is positioning its narrative towards what’s coming: its facilities — with 6,000 m² of total surface area and 2,500 m² of operational clean room — are presented as environments designed under Tier III standards and holding ISO 20000, ISO 27000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certifications, along with High-Level ENS. This set of standards essentially serves as a credential for clients operating under constant audit regimes: public sector, critical services, regulated environments, or industries with strict continuity requirements.
Oxigen DC asserts that its infrastructures are prepared to support emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing. More than marketing hype, it’s a market signal: the conversation is no longer solely about “racks” or “colocation,” but also about power, cooling, connectivity, and compliance for workloads that fully leverage hardware capabilities.
Quick table: Oxigen DC’s capacity boost in Catalonia and its 2026 goal
| Element | Key Data | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| New data center acquired | 10 MW (Sant Fruitós de Bages, Barcelona) | Adds capacity “ready for modernization” |
| Expected operational date | First half of 2026 | Focus on quickly activating operational capacity |
| Operational capacity after acquisition | 20 MW | Doubles scale and enhances offering for large clients |
| 2026 target | >40 MW | Aims to compete with Europe’s largest platforms |
| Planned investment | >50 million euros | Growth + energy efficiency + technological upgrades |
And Europe? Spain is growing, but leadership remains elsewhere
This presents the uncomfortable truth. Spain is attracting investment and projects, with Madrid positioning itself as a hub for Southern Europe. However, industry associations point out that the per capita digital infrastructure in Spain remains lower than in neighboring countries and especially compared to Europe’s most developed economies. They also warn of the risk of stagnation if investment slows or bottlenecks (power supply, permits) hinder projects.
Meanwhile, the major industrial players in cloud and AI are still concentrated in hyperscalers and global operators with substantial financial resources and deployment capacity that Europe, in general, is still striving to match. The result is a paradox: Spain could become a major “ground” for data centers, but without establishing a strong local ecosystem (operators, interconnection, talent, technological sovereignty, and value chain), the greatest benefits could end up being captured elsewhere.
For Oxigen DC, the move in Barcelona is a strategic bet on playing the game from the local operator side, offering resilience, compliance, and scalability. The next step, as some have hinted, is in Madrid, where the company is exploring acquisitions to balance its Catalan base with a presence in the main mainland market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for a data center to have 10 MW of power?
MW indicates the available electrical power to supply IT infrastructure and associated systems (cooling, electrical distribution, redundancies). In simple terms: more MW means greater capacity to host more equipment or denser workloads, such as AI or analytics.
Why are banking-origin data centers considered so “robust”?
Because they have historically been designed for extreme continuity: redundancies, physical security, fault tolerance, and operation under demanding scenarios. This legacy makes them attractive candidates for modernization and adaptation to current cloud and colocation services.
What does an ENS Level High certification bring to a data center in Spain?
It’s a key benchmark for working with public administrations and regulated environments. It indicates a high level of security, controls, and procedures, especially relevant for critical services.
Why are Madrid and Barcelona often highlighted as data center hubs?
Because they concentrate connectivity, business demand, technological ecosystems, and proximity to strategic nodes (submarine cables, interconnection points, networks). Still, growth is heavily influenced by energy availability and permitting processes.