Oficina de Comunicació

There are 220 big data companies in Catalonia, employing about 2,500 people and generating approximately 250 million euros in total revenue. These are some of the conclusions from a big data study by ACCIÓ—the Agency for the Competitiveness of the Company, part of the Department of Business and Knowledge—which will be presented this Friday. The study analyzes the current state of the sector in Catalonia and global trends in this field.

The report defines big data as massive and complex datasets that require non-traditional technologies for processing and extracting value. This large amount of information, closely linked to internet use, must be processed quickly and often in real-time, necessitating new technological tools. As a result, big data is associated with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and cloud computing. The integration of all these technologies facilitates the development of innovative and disruptive solutions and helps advance various fields of knowledge.

The document also highlights that big data is a transversal technology across various industries. Sectors that have most implemented it include ICT, telecommunications, energy, finance, and healthcare. Specific applications of data analysis for industries include improving customer knowledge, optimizing production processes, and managing risks, among others.

The study presentation will take place this Friday (12/03/2021) virtually, with the participation of CIDAI and companies like IBM, Holaluz, and Dribia, which will explain how managing massive data can be incorporated into business activities and provide distinctive value.

An emerging sector in Catalonia

According to the report, most of the big data companies in Catalonia are SMEs (89%). It is an emerging sector, with 61.4% of companies being less than 10 years old, and 38.2% being startups. However, the document also highlights that 35.5% of companies generate over one million euros in revenue, and 12.7% generate over 10 million euros. Big data also has potential for international growth, as one-quarter of Catalonia’s big data companies are already exporters (25.5%).
Regarding the value chain, the companies are primarily focused on data analysis (64.1%) and technology provision (38.2%). Additionally, the study concludes that big data is a transversal area, as managing large volumes of data has applications in other sectors, from e-commerce to healthcare, food, and finance.
In addition to companies, the Catalan big data ecosystem also includes other players such as technological and research centers, universities (which promote training programs in this field), public administration institutions, as well as organizations and associations linked to trade fairs and conferences.

Foreign investment

According to data from the last five years (2016-2020) analyzed by ACCIÓ, Catalonia has attracted 13 foreign investment projects in this sector, creating more than 1,800 jobs and attracting nearly 600 million euros in capital, representing 70% of Spain’s total.

The democratization of data in the COVID-19 context

In recent months, access to data by citizens has become a global phenomenon. Open data (those that can be freely used and distributed) is increasingly involving countries, institutions, and various organizations to promote transparency, knowledge access, and economic and social value generation.

The onset of the pandemic has accelerated digitalization in businesses and society as a whole, benefiting the data sector. Managing COVID-19 has highlighted the need for data to analyze its spread and effects, as well as to anticipate and make decisions. This impacts the total case count and monitoring the pandemic’s progression, but also the deployment of diagnostic tests, the study of medicines, the development of e-health platforms, and the behavior of technology.

In the context of the pandemic, initiatives based on big data and artificial intelligence have been deployed in Catalonia, such as the epidemiological observatory aimed at preventing future epidemics, while leading health institutions (led by the Hospital Clínic) have launched a project to incorporate data management in treating COVID-19 patients and acting early.

Global trends

Big data is a booming global business: in 2020, it accounted for 4% of the European GDP and created 10.5 million jobs. Over the next 10 years, big data and artificial intelligence are expected to increase global GDP by 1.2% and generate 13 trillion dollars in economic activity. By 2025, the volume of data generated is expected to increase fivefold compared to 2018.

Globally, the United States controls 53% of the total market for this technology, and the sector is expected to grow the most there. Over the past five years (2016-2020), 3,175 rounds of investment in big data have been closed globally, amounting to more than 22 billion euros.

According to the ACCIÓ study, there are currently 356,500 patents registered related to data, mainly in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The study also notes that about 900 startups worldwide incorporate big data into their processes, mainly in the United States (40% in California), followed by Israel, the United Kingdom, India, Germany, and China.