nLighten’s entry into the Spanish market is no coincidence. It reflects a well-defined strategy to deploy edge data centers in key urban hubs across Europe.

As demand for low-latency services, AI capabilities and resilient digital infrastructure accelerates, Spain emerges as a strategic location to build the next layer of Europe’s digital backbone. 

Why Spain? 

Spain brings together the ideal conditions for nLighten’s edge data center strategy. Its digital economy already accounts for 23% of GDP, with a national goal to reach 40% by 2030, according to the Asociación Española para la Digitalización (DigitalES) and the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.  

The country’s strategic location, linking Europe, Latin America, and North Africa, together with its high urban density, makes it an ideal setting for local, low-latency digital infrastructure. Add to this the fact that renewable energy contributed 50.4% of total electricity generation in 2024 (Red Eléctrica de España), and Spain clearly stands out not only as a growing digital hub but also as a fertile ground for climate-conscious technological innovation, fully aligned with national and EU sustainability goals. Its energy model is fully aligned with national objectives and European frameworks such as the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, which places growing regulatory emphasis on transparency, optimization and the reduction of carbon footprints across digital infrastructure. 

The first step: Madrid 

nLighten has been operational in Spain for over a year, with its first edge data center fully live in Madrid, strategically located on Calle De Lezama, 4. This facility delivers low-latency, high-performance infrastructure in one of the country’s main economic and business hubs. 

Designed to offer robust connectivity, the site hosts a wide ecosystem of network carriers and internet service providers, including a wide range of national and international Tier 1 and Tier 2 network operators, internet exchanges, and telecom providers, ensuring diverse, resilient and low-latency connectivity options. This dense carrier presence ensures flexible, resilient, and low-latency interconnection; critical for cloud platforms, content providers, and enterprises operating in latency-sensitive sectors. 

This site marks the starting point for a national rollout of urban, sustainable edge data centers, designed to bring data processing closer to end users while supporting digital resilience and sustainability.  

This commitment to use renewable energy is already being implemented through strategic partnerships. nLighten has signed a power purchase and supply agreement with Shell España to power its Madrid edge data center with locally sourced solar and wind energy. This model goes beyond traditional renewable contracts by ensuring real-time transparency and alignment between energy consumption and renewable generation, optimizing nLighten’s carbon-free energy score and reinforcing the reliability of operations. 

A long-term vision 

nLighten’s plans for Spain include: 

  • Consolidating operations in Madrid as a strategic anchor. 
  • Expanding to additional cities, responding to real market demand. 
  • Building a national edge network that supports Spain’s digital and sustainability goals. 
  • Embedding sustainability into every layer of our infrastructure, from renewable energy sourcing to transparent metrics like the ICFEn index. All coupled with a deep integration into local energy ecosystems and urban environments. 

This expansion aligns with the company’s pan-European vision to reach 100 edge data centers in the next few years, delivering proximity, performance and sustainability across the continent. 

Spain: southern gateway for digital Europe 

For nLighten, Spain is more than just a new market, it’s a digital bridgehead for southern Europe. Its position enables regional connectivity while strengthening the company’s role as a pan-European infrastructure platform. 

As the country continues to invest in AI, 5G and smart urban services, nLighten is committed to powering this transformation with infrastructure that is close to users, coupled with local energy and urban ecosystems, and connected through high-performance, low-latency networks; building the digital future from the ground up.