The ideological framework of the agreement is as relevant as its technical scope. As Minister López explicitly articulated, “Mexico and Spain can and must be the alternative digital paradigm,” a path that prioritizes interoperable data, open-source models, and supercomputing collaboration over the proprietary, closed-source models dominating the global technological landscape.
An agreement of technical substance and strategic projection
The collaboration areas cover a wide spectrum: artificial intelligence, supercomputing, data centres, connectivity, cybersecurity, public services digitalization, digital identity, digital skills training and the application of technology to natural disaster management and climate change.
The agreement does not start from scratch. It builds upon a track record of prior bilateral collaboration, including the memorandum signed in 2024 between Spain’s INCIBE and Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute, alongside agreements between the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) and Mexican scientific institutions. One of these agreements laid the groundwork for integrating Latin America’s supercomputing system into the European EuroHPC ecosystem, finding a concrete counterpart in the Coatlicue supercomputer, currently under construction in Mexico with BSC’s participation.
The Spanish digital economy as export platform
The ministerial visit included a tour of the facilities of two Spanish companies with a prominent presence in Mexico. Veridas, specializing in digital identity, biometrics, and fraud prevention, alongside Indra’s Cybersecurity Center, the company’s second cybersecurity operations center globally, illustrate the type of technology Spain is projecting into the Latin American market.
Minister López highlighted the growing contribution of the digital economy to Spain’s GDP—currently accounting for 27% of the total—and redefined the country’s export profile: “Spain no longer exports merely hotels, construction firms, or renewable energy. We are now exporting secure and reliable technology.“
Supercomputing as the Linchpin of Ibero-American Tech Diplomac
Supercomputing collaboration occupies a central role in the agreement and represents the domain where bilateral cooperation possesses the most extensive track record. The BSC serves as a pivotal node connecting the European supercomputing ecosystem with Latin America’s emerging capabilities—a strategic position Spain has deliberately cultivated in recent years and one that this agreement further consolidates.
The cooperation program encompasses joint project development, the exchange of information and best practices, reciprocal visits, and joint participation in conferences and symposia. The Mexican Minister of Science, along with other academic institutions in the country, will participate in the implementation of the agreed-upon initiatives.
The visit concluded with a keynote address by the minister at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest and most influential institution of higher education in Mexico, as well as one of the most prominent in the Spanish-speaking world.
The Added Value of the Compass: Europe’s Challenge Was Not One of Extremes, but of Connections
The fact that the Minister for Digital Transformation can state at UNAM that Spain exports secure and reliable technology is, in itself, a significant data point. A decade ago, such a statement would have sounded like mere aspiration; today, it is backed by concrete examples: the BSC connecting supercomputing ecosystems on both sides of the Atlantic, Indra operating its second-largest global cybersecurity center from Mexico, and Veridas competing internationally in digital identity. The shift in Spain’s export profile is tangible. The key question is whether the underlying structure is as robust as the narrative framing it. Spain remains a moderate innovator by European standards, with private R&D investment stalling and technology transfer proving more successful in headlines than in key performance indicators. Exporting technology from a still-fragile R&D base is achievable, but it faces a structural ceiling.
The next step is not simply signing additional technological cooperation agreements, but ensuring that the domestic innovation ecosystem is deep enough to sustain the international ambition Spain is already projecting.
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