Spain ranks below the EU average in terms of ICT skills but above the EU average in terms of AI adoption.

“In 2023, Spain has made significant progress in the use of artificial intelligence by companies, although challenges remain in some indicators related to their digitalization, including cloud adoption. “While the number of employed ICT professionals remains low, the overall level of basic digital skills among the population has increased,” the report says.

Regarding the adoption of AI by companies, the analysis prepared in Brussels also indicates that the average annual growth in Spain (9.3%) is almost four times higher than the EU average (2.6%).

Towards Basic digital skillsIn 2023, 66.2% of the Spanish population had at least a basic level of knowledge, above the EU average (55.6%).

Regarding the adoption of cloud services by companies, the document notes that Spain shows “very limited momentum”, given that only 27.2% of companies in the country use cloud solutions, which is “significantly below the EU average (38.9%).

With regard to specialists in the ICT sector, the EU also stressed that the targets set by the Government in this regard are lower than those set by the Government in this regard. public block. Despite this, the report stresses that Spain’s roadmap shows the country is planning “important efforts” to achieve the goals “Digital Decade”.

“Spain has set targets for 13 out of 14 key performance indicators that are broadly in line with EU values, with the exception of basic digital skills, which exceed the EU target, and ICT professionals, which are slightly below the EU ambition level. “Spain plans to allocate a total budget (excluding private investment) estimated at €26.7 billion (1.8% of GDP),” the report specifies.

In this context, The Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Service said in a statement that the report puts Spain in a difficult position. “advantageous strategic position” to achieve the objectives set by the European Union.

Spain is above the European average in terms of fixed network capacity and 5G.

“Spain stands out in the communications sector, with a coverage well above the European average in high-speed fixed networks and 5G. In particular, fibre optic coverage already reaches 95.2% of the population, compared to the European average of 64%, a difference that demonstrates the decisive investment by the Spanish Government of over €1,000 million since 2018 for this purpose,” stressed the portfolio led by José Luis Escrivá.

5G Mobile Coverageit already reaches 92% of the population of Spaincompared to 89% of the European average. On the other hand, the report highlights investments in semiconductors, the deployment of contactless nodes and quantum technologies in Spain.

“The business outlook also leaves the country in a very prominent position, as the level of digitalisation of SMEs is above the EU average, with 61% SMEs which will reach at least a basic level of intensity in 2023 compared to 58% Europeans”emphasized digital transformation.