Grupo Aire is one of those technology companies with a discreet profile, which prefers to talk less and do more. Far from the media noise, he has built a network with more than 45,000 kilometers of fiber optics and an ecosystem of data centers that allows it to play in a league of its own: that of those who understand that the future of telecommunications is not only about speed and coverage, but also by intelligent, autonomous and energetically sustainable networks.
In this context, the figure of Zigor Gaubeca, CIO of Grupo Aire, has become one of the most lucid voices when it comes to getting down to earth what it really means to transform a critical infrastructure without breaking anything along the way.
In this conversation with MCPROGaubeca addresses without euphemisms the challenges of building a red zero touch in a sector where reliability is sacred, making it clear that AI is not magic and that network autonomy is not achieved at the touch of a dashboard, but with clean inventories, DevNetOps, culture of change and a lot of internal fear management.
From their perspective, the biggest risk is not the technology, but the temptation to run too fast and skip critical steps in an environment where any failure can be very expensive. And that is why he insists on something that many CIOs forget: that AI governance, energy sustainability and cybersecurity by design They are not optional, but preconditions for innovating without crashing.
In the interview we also delve deeply into some of the most uncomfortable debates in the sector: how retain technological talent When competition is fierce, what does it mean to cool servers with Generative AI running 24/7or why Spain has all the cards to become a digital superhub to Africa and Latin Americabut he still needs to dare to play the full game.
(MCPRO) What technical and cultural challenges does Grupo Aire face in realizing the vision of an autonomous and “zero touch” network, and how will this change the customer experience?
(Zigor Gaubeca) The first thing here is to understand that the autonomous network is not only using AI so that the infrastructure is self-managed, but a comprehensive transformation. This transformation involves working first on the foundations, such as having a good equipment inventory, DevNetOps philosophy for change control and controlled production uploads, and a culture of change management, among others.
We, for example, are migrating towards software-defined architectureswhich in the near future will be orchestrated by artificial intelligence, for initially non-critical tasks and with self-diagnosis capacity. On the one hand, this implies a series of technical challenges such as the integration of legacy systems, ensuring interoperability between network layers and defining new less complex network architectures designed to be orchestrated with business parameters such as latency, jitter, quality of service, bandwidth or a combination of all.
And on the other hand there are the cultural obstacles such as the transition from a team that physically “touches the network” to one that supervises and optimizes it almost in real time through proposals that an AI-based system can make.
Overcoming these challenges involves making the teams understand that these changes are not going to replace them, but rather It will take away repetitive tasks, allowing them to do others of greater value. For their part, clients will perceive it as something invisible, but powerful: fewer incidents, reduced provisioning times and instant adaptability.
(MCPRO) How does Grupo Aire balance the speed of AI adoption with the ethical and operational responsibility that its use in telecommunications demands?
(Zigor Gaubeca) Perhaps the greatest risk in this case is wanting to run too much and being able to skip critical steps. In the current scenario, the prominence of AI is undeniable and it seems that the market is pushing to incorporate generative AI, autonomous agents and other emerging technologies. But in the telecommunications sector reliability and security are sacred.
For this reason it is important to do controlled tests of the processes before any deployment, have control mechanisms with environments that simulate real traffic and situations. It is equally essential to be aware of the existing guidelines, especially now that we see important development in different jurisprudence projects. With the AI Act europea as a guide, we demand training data traceability and internal policies stating that no model will be fed with personal data without explicit consent. Additionally, at Grupo Aire we are working on establishing a AI governance model which I consider critical for a healthy and controlled adoption, complying with regulatory requirements.
(MCPRO) In a hypercompetitive context, what strategies have you found most effective to attract, train and retain key technological talent at Grupo Aire?
(Zigor Gaubeca) Technological talent today is not retained only with economic incentives or superficial benefits, but must also look for a space where they can work with cutting-edge technologies and solving real challenges that excite them. At Grupo Aire we have verified that the most valuable people for the team move through the opportunity to learn and leave a markthis generates a feeling of belonging as an intangible value.
Accordingly, we try to guarantee that professionals can participate from day one in high impact projects: from complex infrastructure deployments to developments in emerging areas such as post-quantum cryptography or edge computing applied to 5G networks. That direct exposure to innovation creates a deeper connection with the organization, because they see that their work translates into something tangible and relevant.
In parallel, there must be a strong commitment to continuous training. It is not about accumulating courses, but about selecting those that really enhance the skills that we are going to need in the medium term, and making them available to the team at the right time. For example, this year we have provided specific training in AI tools for software development, focused not only on increasing productivity, but also on doing so safely, attending international technology conferences, participating in interviews in various formats and much more.
Another factor that we have seen as key to retaining talent is the transparency in professional development. If the person knows what skills they must acquire to move to the next level, and the company is committed to making this path real and evaluable, a beneficial synergy is created for both parties.
(MCPRO) Spain is a leader in fiber optic deployment and network capacity in Europe. How does Grupo Aire view its role in promoting Spain as a regional hub for technological innovation in telecommunications?
(Zigor Gaubeca) The truth is that Spain has the clear advantage of having a fiber optic deployment that is among the most extensive in Europe, a robust international interconnection network and a growing ecosystem of data centers. This puts us in a natural position to be a communications superhubespecially to serve as digital bridge to Africa and Latin America.
The emergence of AI and the demand for ultra low latency They are accelerating the transformation of these infrastructures. What was previously designed thinking only about capacity or redundancy, now incorporates optimized architectures to process data on a nanosecond scale. In this scenario, time reduction becomes one of the fundamental drivers, a key requirement for critical applications in telecom and cloud networking. In this context, Grupo Aire is deploying an extensive network of data centers and distributed nodes that allow a wide variety of services to be offered directly on the connectivity layer. A differential point is our ability to combine this physical infrastructure with innovation projects.
(MCPRO) The growing energy demand of data centers and network infrastructure, along with regulatory and social pressure to reduce carbon footprints, are transforming the way technology companies operate. In this context, what specific actions is Grupo Aire implementing to minimize the environmental impact of its infrastructure and operations, and how is it positioning itself to be a benchmark in sustainability within the telecommunications sector?
(Zigor Gaubeca) As we mentioned previously, in telecommunications, sustainability, more than something optional, is a strategic axis. Any investment in infrastructure, whether networks or data centers, must be evaluated not only by performance, but by environmental impact and energy efficiency.
The arrival of AI, especially generative, and its intensive use in processes such as anomaly detection in cybersecurity, has forced us to redesign architectures to work in ultra-low latency networks and manage new ones. intensive thermal loads in the data center. Every AI query represents a challenge for data centers, and that is why we have worked with partners on advanced direct liquid coolingwhere the liquid comes into contact with the chips. This not only optimizes cooling, but reduces energy consumption increasing efficiency in an environment that breaks the laws of physics.
We are also deploying nodos edge to process data closer to the user and prevent everything from traveling to the core, thus reducing data transport and energy expenditure. This is complemented by the optimization of smaller, more specific AI modelscapable of being executed locally, reducing dependence on large computing centers.
Furthermore, we use 100% green energy guaranteed in our data centers, aligning ourselves with the objective that, by 2030, the share of energy consumed by data centers (which is estimated to reach 5% globally) will not be a brake on growth, but rather an impetus to lead in sustainability.
The objective is clear: that the innovation that positions us at the technological forefront goes hand in hand with infrastructures prepared for a greener and more efficient future.
(MCPRO) Given the increase and growing sophistication of cyberattacks on the telecommunications sector in Spain over the last year, what practical lessons has Grupo Aire drawn from its simulation and preparation exercises for digital crises, and how has its cybersecurity and resilience strategy evolved?
(Zigor Gaubeca) The main lesson we have learned is distrust everythingit is not about reaching a level of paranoia, but it is important to be aware first of the risks that a security breach can cause and second that cybersecurity is in each and every employee. Therefore, the awareness remains key for business and personal security, in addition to all security measures that we may implement.
On the other hand, during this year we have worked with the project team on a philosophy of security by designThis means that security is considered from the first moment, the experience has been very positive with delivery times without delays and with a more optimal operational framework.
(MCPRO) As a CIO with extensive experience in telecommunications, what do you think has been the most valuable and least obvious lesson you have learned about technology leadership and change management?
(Zigor Gaubeca) I would say that the most valuable is that Technological change is not decreed, it is accompanied.
You may be technically right, but if you don’t align timing, formation, and narrative, the team’s silent resistance will hold you back more than any technical impediment.
The key, more than convincing with data, will be build trust in that this change will make people more valuable, not expendable. That means constant communication, visibility of concrete benefits and, very importantly, allowing talent to make small mistakes to learn before large-scale deployments.
