The advancement of technological developments increasingly demands secure data spaces to store, process, analyze, and exchange information. In this context, Gaia-X emerges as an initiative aimed at fostering innovation through digital sovereignty. It recently held the first Data Spaces Summit in Spain on December 3 and 4 in Madrid. With a special focus on real-world use cases and projects, this congress marks a milestone for those interested in the future of technology, innovative solutions, and the global impact of data spaces.

This project, a European private-sector initiative, provides businesses, individuals, and governments with secure and transparent control of their data through a decentralized cloud infrastructure. The goal is to create a trusted ecosystem where data can be shared and made accessible. This federated system connects providers and users in an environment that promotes innovation, collaboration, and scalability across all sectors while ensuring compliance with European and local regulations.

Grupo Aire, a technology group offering connectivity, voice, cloud, and data center services to businesses and public organizations, operates the first Spanish Gaia-X Clearing House node. This role involves providing continuous services, redundancy across multiple data centers, and regulatory compliance. The group’s commitment to the initiative aims to enable Spanish companies and institutions to maintain control over their data’s location at all times.

According to Zigor Gaubeca, CIO of Grupo Aire:

“We help companies seeking to integrate with a Clearing House service offering or verification node. Above all, we provide everything needed to ensure compliance with requirements, such as management or integration support. The goal is to leverage advancements to improve project evaluation, deliver future-oriented solutions, and ensure compliance with standards within a framework based on mutual trust and transparency.”

The event featured government representatives such as Ruth del Campo, Director General of Data at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and Alberto Alcolea, Deputy Director General of Programs, Governance, and Promotion at the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Leading figures from national initiatives and project leaders in the fields of data spaces, technology, and artificial intelligence also participated.

This summit offered an excellent opportunity to expand professional networks and gain insight into a European initiative working to create an open, federated, and interoperable data infrastructure built on the values of digital sovereignty, data availability, and the promotion of the Data Economy.