Grok names Malaga as Europe’s city most likely to thrive over the next decade

Its forecast paints a picture of a sort of "Silicon Valley of southern Europe with beaches". The explanation goes beyond the typical tourist postcard image. “Not the tourist strip that people imagine, but the city itself,” stated the artificial intelligence, which justifies its choice on the basis of the growth of the tech ecosystem, the establishment of multinational companies, the dynamism of the business community and the city’s ability to attract international talent.

Grok specifically mentions Málaga TechPark, the presence of companies such as Google and Vodafone, and the development of a network of start-ups which, in its view, place the city in a privileged position for the coming decade. It also highlights the air links, the high-speed rail link to Madrid -currently closed - and the pleasant climate.

Some of these reasons are supported by economic indicators. Málaga TechPark ended 2025 with 29,018 employees and a turnover of 4.9 billion euros, 17 per cent more than the previous financial year. The technology park is also home to 719 organisations, including 73 foreign-owned companies from 22 countries.

The airport, for its part, recorded more than 26.7 million passengers last year (a record high), while the province’s technology ecosystem is home to 148 active start-ups, according to the latest socio-economic report from the Malaga confederation of entrepreneurs (CEM).

Grok’s choice, in any case, is an assessment generated by artificial intelligence based on the data and patterns it works with, and following a question that ruled out the "most obvious" answers. The question is whether the city will be able to fulfil the prophecy.