61% of Spanish companies have already incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, eleven points more than a year ago, with a growth rate of 22%. This is according to the study "Unlocking the potential of AI in Spain in 2026", presented by Amazon Web Services (AWS) during the 11th edition of the AWS Summit Madrid, an event that brought together more than 10,000 attendees in the capital this Thursday.
This degree of adoption keeps Spain among the leading countries in Europe in the use of AI, placing it seven points above the EU average (54%). The report emphasizes that this implementation is already generating tangible returns: 81% of companies working with AI report direct productivity increases, in addition to high confidence in the potential of this technology.
"89% expect this technology to drive their business growth over the next year, which is why 71% already consider it a fundamental pillar of their business strategy," the study points out.
However, although AI is spreading rapidly, the number of organizations using it in a truly transformative way remains small. A large part of the Spanish progress continues to be concentrated in initial use cases, without yet reaching strategic and deep integration into the business. 64% of companies are mainly limited to basic applications, such as 'chatbots', while only 17% claim to make advanced use, for example, by combining several models or deploying agent AI.
Gap between traditional companies and startups
The report also highlights a marked difference between established companies and 'startups'. Only 16% of traditional companies feel "fully or very prepared" to incorporate agent AI, compared to 74% of startups that declare themselves ready for it. Among organizations that have already implemented these types of solutions, 44% perceive an improvement in the speed of decision-making and execution, and 35% claim to have achieved higher levels of efficiency and operational productivity.
Among the main brakes on advanced AI adoption, three factors stand out. Firstly, regulatory complexity, which forces 44% of the technology budget to be allocated to regulatory compliance. Secondly, the difficulty in finding specialized talent: 58% of companies point to the lack of digital and AI skills as an impediment to progress. And, finally, the absence of clear incentives to innovate, as 61% consider that the support of administrations is crucial or very relevant when deciding to invest in AI.
The study also collects a trend to watch closely: 42% of Spanish startups are seriously considering leaving Europe to scale their business. Among the reasons are greater availability of funding (mentioned by 59% of respondents), followed by a greater capacity to expand internationally (52%), better access to global markets (48%), and a more favorable and stable regulatory environment (38%). This data reinforces the idea that, in a context of accelerated innovation, speed is decisive and startups will opt for the ecosystem that allows them to grow and scale more quickly.
Global Providers and AWS Expansion in Spain
Another finding of the report is that 88% of companies declare using a combination of technology providers from different regions, rather than relying solely on national players. This strategy responds to the interest in accessing a wider range of services and functionalities (54%), improving scalability and performance options (51%), and benefiting from more competitive prices (46%).
Furthermore, 84% of companies consider that having global technology providers is key to driving AI adoption. "Only 15% agree that public investment in AI and cloud infrastructure funded and based in Europe should be a priority," the report adds.
"Spain has consolidated itself as one of the most advanced countries in Europe in AI adoption," commented Suzana Curic, general manager of AWS in Iberia. "The recently announced expansion of the AWS Region in Spain, with an investment of €33.7 billion planned until 2035, will contribute to this adoption translating into real, large-scale transformation, providing companies from all sectors with the tools and capacity needed to develop and implement advanced AI solutions, with the aim of growing faster, accelerating innovation, and competing on a global scale," she concludes.