Barcelona's Tech Ecosystem: Sónar+D, Startup Hub, and Supercomputing

Barcelona is positioning itself as Southern Europe's leading tech hub through a network of public-private initiatives including Barcelona Tech City, Sónar+D, Barcelona Activa, and the Mobile World Congress. Mateu Hernández, CEO of Barcelona Global, emphasizes the role of Sónar+D, the digital arm of the Sónar festival, in exploring technology's impact on creativity and innovation since 2013, addressing digital surveillance and AI ethics. Barcelona Tech City, founded in 2013 and led by Miguel Vicente, hosts over 750 entities in a former warehouse near Barceloneta, including startups like Byhours (hotel booking platform) and Broomx, which produces the MK360 immersive augmented reality projector. MK360 won last year's Sónar+D startup competition and is used therapeutically for Alzheimer's patients in Canada. Barcelona Activa, founded in 1986 and publicly funded, offers free IT courses and startup support from its base in the 22@ innovation district, directed by Lorenzo De Pietro. The district features Torre Glòries, designed by Jean Nouvel in 2005. The city aims to diversify beyond tourism, attracting international talent through quality of life and international networks. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center houses MareNostrum, one of Europe's most powerful supercomputers, located in the deconsecrated Torre Girona chapel on the Polytechnic University of Catalonia campus.