PUERTOLLANO (CIUDAD REAL), 31 (EUROPA PRESS)
The mayor of Puertollano, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, announced on Monday that a company from the Breakthrough Energy group, founded by Bill Gates, also a co-founder of Microsoft, is considering establishing an experimental plant in the municipality for the development of new technologies and electrothermal energy storage solutions. He also revealed that the industrial city will host two other artificial intelligence data centers like the one already planned by Solaria in collaboration with the Japanese company Data Section.
During his opening speech at the ‘Hackaton’ congress on digitalization and AI, organized by the CIFP Virgen de Gracia in collaboration with businesses and administrations at the municipal auditorium, the mayor emphasized that in the industrial city, «the perfect environment is being created for the progress of artificial intelligence.»
In this regard, he mentioned that the city will have the first artificial intelligence data center in the European Union, with over 40 megawatts of power, driven by Data Section and Solaria, as well as the project of the Breakthrough Energy group, linked to Bill Gates and dedicated to research and innovation in sustainable energy generation.
He highlighted the role of conferences like ‘Hackaton’, which bring together vocational training centers, administrations, and businesses, where students can showcase their talent in developing AI projects, a key factor, according to the mayor, for the development of Big Data.
On the other hand, the sub-delegate of the Government of Spain in Ciudad Real, David Broceño, emphasized the importance of training in new technologies and praised the role of CIFP Virgen de Gracia, which is part of the national network of Centers of Excellence in Cybersecurity.
The government sub-delegate stated, «This congress is not just an event, it is a statement of intent: we are building the future of Vocational Training, Artificial Intelligence, and employment in Spain.»
HISTORIC INVESTMENT
David Broceño recalled the Spanish Government’s commitment to modernizing Vocational Training, with a historic investment of over 6.5 billion euros. «Thanks to this initiative, 376,000 new Vocational Training places have been created, along with over 1,400 classrooms of applied technology (ATECA) and around 1,800 entrepreneurship classrooms in Vocational Training centers; in addition, more than fifty new qualifications have been developed tailored to emerging sectors and the needs of the job market,» he said.
Among the most significant advances, Broceño highlighted the establishment of a new professional family in Vocational Training dedicated to Artificial Intelligence and Data, which is a crucial step in preparing future professionals in a rapidly growing sector. In this regard, he mentioned programs like the Specialization Course in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data or the Specialization Course in Video Game Development and Virtual Reality.
In this context, he emphasized Spain’s initiatives to promote female presence in the field of AI, by promoting female role models in STEM and inclusion policies in the technology sector.
Finally, he mentioned that the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan are enabling an investment of over 600 million euros in promoting AI in Spain.
THE COMMITMENT OF THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
In similar terms, the Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, Amador Pastor, highlighted that the Government of Castilla-La Mancha has invested over 26 million euros to boost Vocational Training in the field of Information Technology and Communications.
Pastor emphasized that this is part of the commitment being made by the García-Page Government in this area, reflected in the labor market insertion statistics of graduates in Vocational Training, «which show that the region is above the average in both medium and higher degrees by 1.3 and 1.6 points respectively.»
Regarding the average affiliation rate in Castilla-La Mancha, the report also shows that the Autonomous Community is two points above the national average, reaching 61 percent, and surpassing regions like Castilla y León, Galicia, Andalusia, or Valencia. He also thanked the collaboration of educational centers, teachers, and businesses in achieving these results.
During the event, the minister also signed a collaboration protocol with the company Amazon Web Services for the technological training of students in Vocational Training in the region. This protocol aims to enhance skills and improve the employability of students by acquiring competencies demanded by companies in areas such as Artificial Intelligence or machine learning.
On his part, the Education and Research Manager at AWS Spain, Víctor Ramos, expressed his excitement about the inclusion of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha in the Tech Alliance in Spain, stating that they are focused on developing training initiatives to reduce the digital talent gap in society. He added, «Public-private collaboration is key, and investing in present talent to prepare the future society is increasingly necessary.»
Around 300 students, over 70 teachers, and about 40 businesses attended the ‘Digitalization and AI Hackaton, a step towards business success’ congress, along with members of the Business Federation and Chamber of Commerce, among other entities.
Also present were the Director General of Vocational Training, José Rodrigo Cerrillo; the Provincial Delegate of Education, Culture, and Sports, José Jesús Caro, and the director of CIFP *Virgen de Graciá, Ana Belén Santos.