Madrid ranks as the fifth primary market in EMEA, consolidating its position as one of Europe's leading hubs for the data center industry. This is according to the Global Data Center Market Comparison 2026 report prepared by Cushman & Wakefield, which evaluates factors such as power and land availability, market maturity, connectivity, operating costs, and the regulatory environment.
The Spanish capital joins a group that includes some of the industry's most prominent destinations, such as Helsinki, Oslo, Milan, and Abu Dhabi.
Madrid currently accounts for a total market capacity of 538 MW and could reach 1,105 MW by 2030, reflecting the region's strong growth potential as a destination for new digital infrastructure investments.
This position further strengthens Spain's attractiveness as one of Europe's strategic destinations for investment in digital infrastructure. The sector is experiencing approximately 9% year-on-year growth in operational capacity and nearly 16% growth in total market size. Spain's strategic position on global connectivity routes, driven by the arrival of new submarine cables, the development of digital infrastructure, and sustained demand growth linked to cloud services and artificial intelligence, is reinforcing the country's competitiveness.
The study also places Zaragoza and Barcelona among the most attractive markets in the EMEA region for data center development.
In this context, Zaragoza is emerging as one of the markets with the greatest growth potential thanks to its operating conditions, availability for new developments, and advantages in optimizing energy and cooling costs. Barcelona, meanwhile, continues to strengthen its position as a strategic connectivity hub in the Mediterranean and remains attractive for new investments, although energy costs are emerging as one of the main challenges to its future competitiveness.
Saturation of Major European Hubs Drives New Destinations
According to the report, the development of new data centers in Europe is increasingly constrained by access to power, land availability, and regulatory timelines. This situation is encouraging investors and operators to seek alternatives to the traditional FLAPD markets (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin), which account for a large share of Europe's installed capacity but face growing limitations on further expansion.
In this context, Spain has a significant opportunity to establish itself as one of Europe's new digital infrastructure hubs, provided it can meet the energy and regulatory requirements demanded by the sector. "We are entering a new phase for the data center industry. Growth will remain strong, but it will become increasingly selective. Markets that can guarantee access to power, land availability, agile development processes, and investment security will attract the next wave of projects in Europe. Spain has a real opportunity to strengthen its position on the European digital infrastructure map, provided it can address these challenges," concludes Pere Morcillo, Head of Industrial & Logistics at Cushman & Wakefield Spain.
Sustainability is also becoming one of Spain's key competitive advantages. More than half of the electricity generated in the country already comes from renewable sources, and the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan sets a target of achieving 74% renewable electricity generation by 2030. This progress, combined with the growing adoption of green energy by operators, further enhances Spain's appeal as a destination for developing sustainable data centers capable of meeting the future demands of the industry.
