The Spanish city of Valencia is set to host a headquarters for the technological giant Microsoft. The arrival of Microsoft’s global centre for the development of technology applied to sport, health, and leisure has been confirmed by the mayor of the city, María José Catalá. The new Microsoft centre is expected to foster collaboration with local universities, research institutions, and start-ups, further integrating the city into international innovation networks. According to municipal sources, the hub will not only serve as a testing ground for emerging technologies but also act as a magnet for skilled professionals. City officials believe this move will solidify Valencia’s growing reputation as one of Europe’s most dynamic and attractive digital and tech ecosystems.

Furthermore, Catalá has stated that this company will be located in La Harinera, a building linked to Las Naves, fitted out last year to host entrepreneurship projects within the municipal initiative Valencia Innovation Capital. The mayor, who took office in 2023, has indicated that in these two years, 42 companies have been established in the city, which have generated around 2,500 jobs and an investment of around 260 million euros.

Among these multinational companies that have recently arrived in Valencia, she has highlighted IBM, which has just inaugurated its talent incubator centre in La Marina de Valencia, incorporating one hundred employees with commercial and technological profiles. This year, IBM has also announced that it had selected Spain for its first Quantum System Two supercomputer in Europe.

International businesses eye Valencia

The mayor has indicated that Valencia is a city that aspires to retain and attract talent and has referred to the companies that are betting on this destination. “International companies have once again set their sights on Valencia to establish their business, such as IBM, and international professionals have returned to Valencia to help make our city a better city,” she notes.

Catalá underscores that the Valencia Innovation Capital strategy, driven by her government team, “is working as a successful city strategy.” “We are the only host city with two of the ten European consortia of digital infrastructures, and we have approved one of the most advanced digital legal frameworks in Europe,” she highlights.

“So today, I can tell you that we have managed to position Valencia in 21st place in the global ranking of cities that attract the most talent, just behind London. We have climbed 52 positions compared to the previous year,” Catalá concludes. Nonetheless, it is not the first time that a major Microsoft centre has been announced in the Valencian Community. In 2010, the then president of Valencia, Paco Camps, revealed after a meeting with Bill Gates himself in the United States a project by the technology corporation to create a major reference centre in the healthcare sector in Torrevieja. The project finally reached nowhere and ultimately failed to materialise.