A meeting took place in Barcelona that could shift the balance of technological cooperation between Mexico and Catalonia. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the head of the Catalan government, Salvador Illa, visited the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) — one of Europe’s leading scientific institutions. They were joined by Spain’s Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni. As reported by El Pais, this visit continued the ongoing drive to bring these two regions closer together in the field of high technology.
Catalonia is becoming a strategic partner for Mexico in matters of technological independence. The focus is on developing supercomputing capabilities and exchanging scientific knowledge. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center already plays a key role: it supported the creation of the Center for Data Analysis and Supercomputing at the University of Guadalajara (CADS) in Mexico. In December last year, Salvador Illa signed a cooperation agreement with his Mexican counterparts, covering joint research, innovative projects, and academic exchanges. Despite technical disparities — MareNostrum in Barcelona operates at hundreds of petaflops, while the Mexican center is currently less powerful — both sides are betting on long-term knowledge exchange and the development of the scientific community.
Sheinbaum’s visit to Barcelona took place during her participation in the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, and after she publicly denied the existence of a diplomatic crisis between Mexico and Spain. At the same time, the president of Mexico emphasized the importance of recognizing the role of indigenous peoples in national identity. Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni separately highlighted the political significance of the meeting, noting the depth of relations between the two countries and the importance of strengthening international alliances at this very moment.
Minister Diana Morant linked the development of scientific cooperation to strengthening democracy and peace, and also recalled joint projects in the field of artificial intelligence that are being carried out with the support of BSC. According to her, Barcelona has already become an international scientific hub, strongly attracting researchers. The delegation also included Catalonia’s Minister of Research and Universities Nuria Montserrat, Comuns party representative and secretary of the first Congress table Gerardo Pisarello, as well as renowned singer Joan Manuel Serrat.
Cooperation between Mexico and Catalonia is developing against the backdrop of other notable events in the region. For example, a new left-wing coalition was recently discussed in Barcelona, which also reflects a trend toward seeking new formats for international and interregional cooperation — for more details, see the article about coalition formation talks in Barcelona.
According to El Pais, the agreement between BSC and CADS includes not only joint research but also the sharing of high-performance computing infrastructure. This will enable the Mexican side to accelerate the development of its own technologies and integrate into European scientific networks. The Catalan side sees such projects as an opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of its scientific approach and expand its international influence.
