The Spanish government has taken a firm step towards technological autonomy with an injection of over €240 million through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT). In a move that combines geopolitical ambition and industrial pragmatism, SETT has closed three key operations with Multiverse Computing, Substrate AI, and Openchip & Software Technologies. The goal: to build a deep tech ecosystem capable of competing in global AI and microelectronics markets, reducing dependence on external players.

Multiverse Computing: Quantum AI for an Efficient Future

The largest allocation, €107 million, has gone to Multiverse Computing, a company redefining the limits of artificial intelligence with algorithms inspired by quantum computing. Their technology compresses massive language models by up to 95% of their original size, drastically reducing energy consumption and enabling execution on resource-limited devices like smartphones, laptops, or even satellites. This is not SETT's first bet on Multiverse: in June 2025, it received €59.2 million to accelerate its model compression solutions. The new investment consolidates a vision where AI is not only more powerful but also more sustainable and accessible.

For businesses, this translates into the ability to deploy intelligent assistants and real-time analysis systems without relying on costly cloud infrastructure. As we saw in the digital transformation success story in a logistics company, adopting lightweight AI can be a differentiating factor in sectors where latency and consumption are critical.

Substrate AI: The Platform Democratizing Enterprise AI

With €19.1 million, Substrate AI receives a boost for its integrated artificial intelligence platform, designed for businesses and public administrations. Headquartered in Madrid and Talavera de la Reina, Substrate AI enables building AI prototypes and bringing them to production with guarantees of security, traceability, cost control, and regulatory compliance. It is one of the few companies in Europe offering a complete software, hardware, and infrastructure stack aligned with the EU AI Act and GDPR.

This investment is key for any organization to transform its operations without needing in-house data science teams. Integration with legacy systems and model orchestration is simplified, opening the door to mass AI adoption in regulated sectors such as banking, healthcare, or public administration. In a context where the network has become the backbone of AI, having platforms that guarantee data sovereignty is more relevant than ever.

Openchip: Sovereign Semiconductors with RISC-V Architecture

The most ambitious bet, with €115.7 million, goes to Openchip & Software Technologies, a company born in 2021 from the collaboration between the Catalan group GTD and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS). Openchip designs high-performance chips for AI and supercomputing based on the open RISC-V architecture, ensuring transparency and avoiding proprietary license dependencies. Its fabless model outsources manufacturing, reducing direct environmental impact and focusing on efficient design.

These processors promise superior energy efficiency, translating into lower operational costs for data centers. At a time when computing demand is skyrocketing, having European chips designed for AI workloads is a strategic advantage. The investment not only seeks to consolidate semiconductor capabilities but also to generate highly skilled jobs in a sector critical for the continent's technological autonomy.

The bet on RISC-V aligns with the global trend towards open architectures, similar to what we saw in the debate on Microsoft's quantum promise, where transparency and efficiency are determining factors for enterprise adoption.

A Comprehensive Strategy for the New Digital Economy

The three operations are part of the Next Tech fund, financed by the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. SETT not only injects capital but coordinates a national vision that spans from AI software to semiconductor hardware, including deployment platforms. This comprehensive approach allows Spain to position itself as a deep tech hub in Europe, competing with more mature ecosystems.

For IT professionals, these investments open opportunities in areas such as applied quantum computing, AI platform engineering, RISC-V chip design, and associated cybersecurity. Demand for profiles with knowledge in model optimization, open architectures, and regulatory compliance will grow exponentially. As noted in our network security guide, technological sovereignty also involves mastering the infrastructure layers that support these systems.

In short, SETT is weaving a network of capabilities that, if managed wisely, could turn Spain into a benchmark for European AI and microelectronics. The question is no longer whether we should invest in deep tech, but how to accelerate the transfer of these technologies to the productive fabric. And on that path, public-private collaboration and talent training will be as crucial as the millions invested.

Original source: ComputerWorld. Analysis and adaptation by ForgeNEX.