Digital Twins: The technology growing 40% annually and already transforming defense, construction and logistics

The Horizontes Series, organized by Ayesa and Royal Sevillian Academy of Sciences, dedicated its third session to assessing the maturity of digital twins. The event brought together leaders from Navantia, Ferrovial, the Puerto de Huelva, Celonis and Tecnalia, who each shared real implementation cases in defense, construction, logistics and urban management.

From Navantia’s frigates to Ferrovial’s tunnels, ports and urban systems, digital twins have become a tool capable of directly influencing how infrastructure and industrial assets are designed, built and operated. According to Gartner, this technology will grow 40% annually, reaching €379 billion by 2034, and is already improving revenue streams for companies using it by up to 15%.

Navantia and Ferrovial: production-ready use cases

Iván Pena, Head of Intelligent Systems Architecture at Navantia, explained that the Spanish Navy’s F-110 frigates are the first in naval defense to integrate a digital twin from the design phase as part of the contract. “Data sits at the center of the model. Including the supply chain and defining purpose and metrics from the outset is essential,” he said.

Pena highlighted how increasing computing power is opening new opportunities: “The key is combining both worlds — physical and digital — to achieve greater model fidelity. We are in the decision-support phase, but we’re moving toward full autonomy. AI already helps us explore design alternatives and generate data for automated decisions.”

Jaime Granell, Global Head of Transport Infrastructure & Digital Engineering at Ferrovial Construction, outlined how this integration is transforming the construction sector: “Zero tolerance for accidents translates into simulation tools that help mitigate risks, such as those derived from lifting loads or working at heights, by projecting exclusion zones.”

The company goes beyond safety improvements by connecting the TBM tunnel-boring machine in real time to the excavation front, linking the digital model directly to construction. “We scan progress to feed the model and improve its accuracy,” Granell added. The result: tighter planning, fewer risks, and real-time control over project progress.

The data challenge: access, quality and governance

José Antonio Chica, Head of Digital Transformation for Urban Climate and Energy Transition at Tecnalia, addressed the bottleneck of urban data: “Spain has transposed the European directive requiring public administrations to share land-observation, cadastral, meteorological and mobility data. The problem is that this data is often incomplete.”

To develop applications for energy planning or environmental quality, Tecnalia also needs access to private data of public interest, such as that held by utilities. “There is strong momentum behind making geospatial information accessible, but without complete data, applications fall short,” Chica explained.

Manuel Francisco Martínez, CTO of the Port of Huelva, reminded attendees that port operations involve constant complexity rarely found in other sectors: “About twenty different actors make decisions in a port. Change management is a huge challenge, and for us, a distributed model is key to ensuring future sustainability.”

“This technology is here to stay. The challenge now lies in talent, data governance, and alignment across the entire industrial chain,” summarized Navantia’s Iván Pena.

A disruptive technology

Digital twins are proving their potential in areas as diverse as early cancer detection to forecasting extreme weather events. Recently, Germany unveiled a digital twin of the earth capable of anticipating heatwaves, torrential rainfall or droughts.

According to Capgemini, companies implementing digital twins increase their revenue by 15%. The market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 40% between 2025 and 2032, driven in line with growth in artificial intelligence, extended reality, and open data.

Experts at the session agreed that the next major wave of innovation will emerge from this integration, especially in fields such as energy communities, infrastructure management and urban mobility.

Spain in a leadership position

The discussion pointed in the same direction: digital twins are changing the way projects are designed, built and managed. Spain, thanks to its industrial and technological base, has room to secure a leadership position.

The Horizontes series, which has already explored post-quantum cryptography and fusion energy, will conclude with a session focused on AI applied to healthcare.

Four disruptive technologies, four conversations about the future of engineering, industry and public services.