Spain strengthens digital sovereignty with a secure chip design hub in Murcia
Government funding helps Spain expand secure chip manufacturing and digital infrastructure.
Spain is strengthening its digital sovereignty strategy through the new investments in cyber-secure semiconductor design and trusted data infrastructure, with construction of Quantix’s secure chip design centre in Murcia set to begin this autumn.
Backed by a €19.6 million investment from the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), the facility will strengthen Spain’s capabilities in secure chip design, cybersecurity and post-quantum cryptography while supporting both national and European digital sovereignty.
The Quantix centre is expected to create more than 450 highly skilled jobs and will design, validate and commercialise secure microcontrollers and semiconductor components for sectors including automotive, critical infrastructure and the Internet of Things.
It will also incorporate chip encapsulation and testing capabilities, helping reduce dependence on external suppliers and strengthening Europe’s semiconductor value chain.
During his visit to Murcia, Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López Agueda, also highlighted the NEREIDAS project, a government-funded initiative developing a secure marine data-sharing ecosystem for the Mar Menor.
Supported by €1.04 million through Spain’s Sectoral Data Spaces Programme, the platform combines oceanographic, environmental, meteorological and satellite data to support applications including a digital twin of the Mar Menor and real-time environmental monitoring.
The platform currently includes 84 active datasets shared by 74 organisations, with around 90 more seeking to join. The government described NEREIDAS as one of Spain’s leading sectoral data spaces and part of a broader €400 million national strategy to accelerate the data economy across strategic sectors using EU recovery funding.
Why does it matter?
The announcements illustrate how digital sovereignty is increasingly being built through both physical and data infrastructure. Alongside investment in semiconductor manufacturing and secure chip design, governments are developing trusted data ecosystems that support AI, cybersecurity and digital public services.
Spain’s approach reflects a wider European strategy of strengthening domestic technological capabilities while reducing dependence on external suppliers in critical digital technologies. By combining semiconductor investment with sectoral data spaces, the country is reinforcing the foundations needed for secure, data-driven innovation across strategic sectors.
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