UAE, Greece Sign Agreement to Advance Development of Digital Infrastructure

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
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UAE, Greece Sign Agreement to Advance Development of Digital Infrastructure

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM
The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou. WAM

The Ministry of Investment of the UAE and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a framework for investments in digital infrastructure with a focus on data center projects in Greece.

The agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi and the Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou.

Data centers to be developed under this agreement can reach a total capacity of 500 megawatts.

The data center market in Greece has witnessed significant growth in recent years, largely driven by the country's Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2025, which aims to facilitate the transformation of companies into digital enterprises and incorporate digital technologies across its economic sectors.

Projections indicate that Greece's data center market will reach $1.218 billion by 2028 from $735 million in 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9 percent.

With 15 data centers, Greece is set to expand its data infrastructure with an additional 139 megawatts of power capacity from new data centers planned for development over the next five years. This positions the country to become the largest data hub in Southeast Europe and the second largest in the Mediterranean by 2028.

Greece benefits from a network of over ten submarine cables linking the country to crucial global markets, further reinforced by multiple inland internet exchange points, resulting in significantly enhanced connectivity, reliability and an increased appeal for businesses seeking efficient and dependable data exchange.

The MoU between the UAE and Greece focuses on forging effective collaboration by building relationships between public and private organizations. The agreement additionally proposes the implementation of incentives to support pertinent initiatives and aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge.



New Car Sales in Spain Surpass Million-mark, Sector Facing Tough 2025

An aerial view shows new vehicles parked at the port in Barcelona, Spain, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
An aerial view shows new vehicles parked at the port in Barcelona, Spain, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
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New Car Sales in Spain Surpass Million-mark, Sector Facing Tough 2025

An aerial view shows new vehicles parked at the port in Barcelona, Spain, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
An aerial view shows new vehicles parked at the port in Barcelona, Spain, December 7, 2024. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo

New car sales in Spain surpassed the one million mark in 2024 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed on Thursday, but analysts and industry sources said this should not be seen as a sign of recovery in a sector facing a tough 2025.

Changing trends in car usage, high prices, uncertainty around electric vehicles (EVs) and fierce competition from Chinese brands are all expected to create challenges for the auto industry in Spain, said Felipe Munoz, an analyst at market research firm JATO Dynamics.

New car sales in 2019 reached well over 1.3 million, but then slumped to around 900,000 annually for the next four years. Though 2024's 1.02 million sales represent a 7.1% increase year-on-year, they are still far below the original trend, Reuters reported.

Last year's rise was helped by a massive 28.8% spike in year-on-year sales in December, the data showed.

Munoz said the uptick seemed transitory, as new car sales had failed to properly take off after the pandemic clobbered demand, adding: "I don't think (the Spanish car market) will ever hit those numbers again."

According to Munoz, after the semiconductor scarcity crisis, European car manufacturers focused on increasing their prices at the cost of selling fewer units - and still made record profits.

"That strategy worked perfectly for them until this year, when Chinese brands started to penetrate the market more successfully in Europe, and they realised their prices were too high in comparison," he added.

Spanish car part manufacturer Gestamp was less affected by a drop in car sales in Spain and Europe due to its geographic diversification, CFO Ignacio Mosquera said, but more had to be done to help an ailing sector that lacked a clear policy in "one of the most important industry overhauls in history".

"If there's no public-private partnership, there's uncertainty in demand and people don't know which vehicle to buy. Faced with that decision, what do they do? They extend the life of their vehicle," Mosquera said - thus reducing sales.

Echoing that sentiment, the head of Spanish car part manufacturers' association Sernauto, Jose Portilla, said more state support was needed to encourage the sale of EVs.

"If we're able to boost the recharging infrastructure, EVs become more affordable, and the subsidies are given at the time of purchase instead of one-and-a-half or two years later. This will encourage the market much more and we'll be able to redirect this situation," Portilla added.