The Government allocates 6.84 million to accelerate the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in companies in Castilla-La Mancha

Madrid.- The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Óscar López, announced on Monday that his department has resolved the calls for Red IA and Red IA Salud, with a total investment of 180 million euros, for the promotion of 372 Artificial Intelligence projects. He did so during his speech at the 40th Meeting of Digital Economy and Telecommunications of AMETIC, the Multisectoral Association of Companies of Information Technologies, Communications and Electronics, which is held these days in Santander and which brings together the different actors of the digital ecosystem (administrations, companies, academic sector, professional associations, social representatives and civil society) to address the challenge of balancing technological development with well-being, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.

“These calls are just a sample of this government’s digital successes showcase,” said the minister who was in charge of announcing, in July last year, these grants that it manages Red.es and that seek to promote Artificial Intelligence in the business fabric and in the health sector.

As López himself explained, in the case of RedIA, it is 130 million FEDER funds that are destined to promote technological development and innovation in AI, as well as the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in the productive processes of value chains.

In total, he has detailed, 300 business projects (of the more than a thousand that were presented) of all the autonomous communities will benefit from this aid that will allow them to develop intelligent assistants, digital twins, advanced robotics, artificial vision, cybersecurity or predictive systems. The minister pointed out that 70% of the projects selected correspond to SMEs and explained that the aid ranges from 400,000 euros to 5 million euros.

For its part, the call for RedIA Salud allocates 50 million to 72 projects that promote AI in the health field and that will cover all stages of the care process, from prediction, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. These projects range from clinical, biomedical and pharmacological research to emergency response.

Of these 180 million, 6,848,077.85 euros went to 18 business projects in Castilla-La Mancha, out of a total of 91 nationally.

López highlighted the importance of this type of aid because “just as today no one sets up a company without wifi, tomorrow no one will be able to compete without AI”. “Productivity doesn’t change just because new technology comes along. It changes when that new technology is useful and democratizes. And to democratize and promote a useful and competitive Spanish AI, we must multiply our computing capacity,” he explained.

“The Spanish digital transformation, a success story”

During his speech at the AMETIC forum, the minister affirmed that “the Spanish digital transformation is a shared success story” and pointed out that “AI is a star chapter in this story” thanks to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and public-private collaboration.

López has reviewed the “main milestones and progress” of this transformation, such as being the first European country to constitute an AI Supervisory Agency (AESIA); being the fifth European market in private investment in AI startups; being the sixth in the world to adopt generative AI; or being the seventh in the world in progress of AI, according to Stanford University.

“Spain has a solid AI base to continue building an unbeatable digital economy”, said the minister, who believes that “it is no longer a question of AI yes or AI no, but what AI” and that “the government has it very clear”. “We want a humanist AI that serves to modernize public services, increase private competitiveness, ensure security and protect citizens’ rights.” “Spain is achieving that good AI”, he stressed before recalling the important investment carried out by the Government through the National AI Strategy, launched in 2020 and reinforced in 2024, and which has had funding of more than 1.5 billion euros.

A financial impulse that has allowed to develop measures, resources and projects such as the Law of Good Use and Governance of the AI; the prohibition in Europe of sexual deepfakes; the international coalition for the protection of minors in the UN promoted by this Government; flooding the chairs of AI, Cybersecurity and Chip the universities of the country; promote FP degrees in AI; create models of open and sovereign language such as ALIA; invest in leading Spanish companies such as Multiverse, Sherpa AI, Submer, SENSIA or Universal Digital Consulting Kit;

In his speech, the minister assured that the government wants Spain to be not only a leader, but also a “reference” and that this “means anticipating events”. For this reason, he explained, the Executive is promoting the definition of the data center model through a Royal Decree to regulate its requirements of energy sustainability, environmental, resilience and digital sovereignty. “We want more data centers, of course, but we want the best data centers, the ones that are sustainable, efficient and sovereign.”

López has said that this is “a coherent and relevant initiative.” “It is time to decide whether we want a digital bubble or a serious, sovereign and sustainable infrastructure,” he added before recalling that countries such as the US or the Netherlands have already implemented measures to regulate these facilities. “This is not a moratorium on data centers, it’s ordering our model. All projects are welcome, but with order and quality. Orderly development is not a brake, but a mark of distinction for the Spanish digital economy,” he said, adding that “Spain takes a turn towards green data centers” and that this will be a success.