The Tenerife’s bid will face stiff competition when you choose to be headquarters of the Spanish agencies to supervise space and artificial intelligence. The Cabildo’s option will have to overcome another 16 territories in the first case and 17 in the second. On Friday, all groups on the island institution said they were working together on the idea of hosting the body that oversees the nationwide discipline that seeks to replicate human intelligence through computers. Of the two options, this is the more established in terms of designs and strengths. Barcelona, who announced they are in the running two days ago, and Alicante appear to be the main rivals.
On 5 October, the orders announcing the report of an advisory commission created to promote these initiatives by the Spanish government were published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). The deadline for submitting applications is next Monday, November 7th. The forecast is that in the first quarter of next year both physical locations will already be chosen, in addition to having started the first operational phase.
Requirements.
Among the requirements of the National Executive to host these venues are the existence of a nearby high-speed railway station – or its equivalent in the island territories – an international airport less than an hour away, quality in the surrounding and relatively close dynamic universities. The facilities would occupy more than 3,000 square meters and employ around 70 people. For both agencies, the location will be determined on the basis of the principles of structure, territorial balance and adaptation to the sector of activity. It will be appreciated that applications submit a report from the autonomous community supporting their eligibility.
tough rivals.
Barcelona and Salamanca, just a few days ago, and Zaragoza, last week, are the latest cities to announce their candidacy to seat the State Agency for the Supervision of the Artificial Agency (Aesia). Along with the Catalan, Charra or Aragonese capitals and the island of Tenerife, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Orense, La Rioja, Palma de Mallorca, Burgos, Ávila, Segovia, Valencia, Alicante, Alcoi, Granada and Gijón are candidates. Spain will become the first EU country with a state agency in this area. It will be enhanced to have a corporate and university ecosystem, both for training and for research, linked to Artificial Intelligence.
Condal city.
Last Friday, the plenary session of the Barcelona City Council unanimously approved the presentation of the Catalan capital’s candidacy as the physical headquarters of the future Spanish agency for the supervision of artificial intelligence (AI). The proposal expresses “the interest of the city in promoting an ethical model of Artificial Intelligence and in contributing from Barcelona and its institutions to guide the European model of technological development”. Barcelona has an ecosystem made up of more than 180 companies working in this sector, with a turnover of 1,350 million euros and 8,500 workers. During the plenary session, it was defended that the city has one of the “most powerful” ecosystems in Europe in technological innovation. Barcelona claims to already welcome initiatives with the same purpose, such as the Digital Future Society (DFS) and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWC).
Alicante.
The plenary session of the Council of Alicante approved, also last Friday, to officially present the candidacy of Alicante as the seat of Aesia. Under the Alicante Suma slogan, the Consell will focus on Artificial Intelligence through a “robust and inclusive” candidacy, with which the public feels identified. Alicante guarantees to meet all the requirements, from ease of connections and infrastructure, to a strong university system specializing in the subject, or a powerful entrepreneurial fabric. It will be a tough nut to crack because the structural framework of its offer is already very advanced.
The ‘Space Race’.
The space race has begun in Spain. Not to reach other planets, but to be the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency. The latest city to join was San Javier, Murcia, which has hosted the General Air Academy for 80 years. The list is completed, in addition to Gran Canaria and Tenerife, by Seville, Tres Cantos (Madrid), Teruel, Huelva, Cebreros (Avila), Robledo de Chabela (Madrid), León, Puertollano (Ciudad Real), Jaén, Fuente de Oliva (León ), Guadalajara, Segovia, Ciudad Real, Cabanillas del Campo (Guadalajara) and Elche (Alicante).
From history to the sun.
The reasons for hosting are very varied. Thus, Gran Canaria draws on history with “six decades of relationship with space”. He points out that in 1969 the Maspalomas station was one of those that received the words of Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon. The 300 days a year of “climate bonanza”, the missions and tests carried out, taxation and the maritime zone are other weighty topics. For its part, Seville boasts an entrepreneurial strength, a tradition linked to the aeronautical sector from the last century, tourism and a technology park with many companies in the sector. Tres Cantos, known as the Silicon Valley of Madrid, relies on its strategic location and Teruel reverses the secular depopulation to indicate this process as an opportunity to alleviate aging and loss of inhabitants. Finally, Huelva draws on its 3,500 hours of sunshine a year and the fact that NASA has spent years studying the environment of the Río Tinto and its cyanobacteria to prepare for the exploration of Mars. Everyone shows his.
