Spain and Mexico sign an agreement to strengthen cooperation on AI, connectivity and cybersecurity

Spain and Mexico have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the fields of AI, supercomputing, connectivity and cybersecurity. This is set out in the agreement signed by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López, and the Director of Mexico's Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, José Antonio Peña Merino.

The agreement includes a comprehensive list of areas for collaboration, ranging from AI, supercomputing and data centres to connectivity, cybersecurity, the use of digital technologies for natural disaster management and climate change, as well as the digitalisation of public services, digital identity and training in digital skills.

"Mexico and Spain can and must be the third way in the digital sphere. An approach based on collaboration and a commitment to interoperable data, open models, and cooperation in supercomputing - as is already happening between the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the Coatlicue supercomputer currently being built by Mexico", said Minister Óscar López following the signing of the MoU.

The memorandum sets out an Action Plan and a timetable to put the cooperation into practice; this may involve the development of joint programmes; the exchange of information and best practice; reciprocal visits; and the joint organisation of and participation in conferences, symposia or courses, amongst other activities.

This agreement marks another step in the ongoing collaboration between Spain and Mexico, a partnership outlined in the memorandum of understanding signed in 2024 between Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) and Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) of Mexico, as well as the agreements signed by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) with Mexican scientific institutions to promote supercomputing and AI in Mexico, and with Mexico's National Polytechnic Institute, which laid the foundations for integrating Latin America's supercomputing system into the European ecosystem (EuroHPC).

Spain and Mexico share a common approach to addressing digital transformation and its associated challenges, such as the sustainable and orderly development of data centres, the acceleration of 'deeptech' technologies, and the transfer of laboratory innovations to the productive sector.

During his visit to Mexico City, Minister Óscar López took the opportunity to visit the premises of two Spanish companies based in the city: Veridas, which specialises in digital identity, biometrics and fraud prevention; and Indra's Cybersecurity Centre, the company's second-largest cybersecurity operations centre worldwide.

López highlighted the significant contribution the digital economy already makes to Spain's GDP, accounting for 27% of the total. "Spain no longer exports just hotels, construction firms or renewable energy - though we certainly do that, too. We now export safe and reliable technology", he emphasised.

The minister will conclude his visit to Mexico with a keynote speech at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico's largest and most influential higher education institution and one of the most important and largest in Ibero-America and the Spanish-speaking world.

Non official translation