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They plan to designate 20 cities as “the” national tech hub for “x” sector. These would be across the country in emerging technologies. So we could soon see Sioux Falls or Fargo as the “national tech hub for advanced robotics,” etc.
5-10 of these will get up to $100 million each. The amounts seem minor, but with the White House wanting to scale this up ($4b was requested for next year), and the prestige with being named a national tech hub, I’m curious what you all think would be good candidate cities and for what sectors.
It seems like existing hubs are out, so I think the best candidates are cities in the 500k-1m range, with a few in rural metros.
The tech hubs they are looking to designate are:
(1) Artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, and related advances;
(2) High performance computing, semiconductors, and advanced computer hardware and software;
(3) Quantum information science and technology;
(4) Robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing;
(5) Natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation;
(6) Advanced communications technology and immersive technology;
(7) Biotechnology, medical technology, genomics, antd synthetic biology;
(8) Data storage, data management, distributed ledger technologies, and cybersecurity, including biometrics;
(9) Advanced energy and industrial efficiency technologies, such as batteries and advanced nuclear technologies, including but not limited to for the purposes of electric generation (consistent with 42 U.S.C. § 1874); and
(10) Advanced materials science, including composites 2D materials, other next-generation materials, and related manufacturing technologies.
If I had to name 20 that I think would benefit the most and have promise (and are geographically dispersed), here they are. I’ll probably be wrong on 18 of these but that’s ok:
Seattle Regional Office
1. Eugene - environmental tech would be a good fit given University of Oregon, proximity to Cascadian tech scene and relative affordability
2. Fresno - proximity to Bay Area/LA VC. I can’t imagine California won’t get a hub
3. Honolulu - the State has been trying to diversify from tourism, and proximity to Asia is a huge benefit. Techies would love the weather and the Government has a huge footprint here already that they can leverage (there is a national security component to the competition).
Austin Regional Office
1. Baton Rouge - LSU + big Army Corps of Engineers presence in Louisiana (STEM jobs)
2. San Antonio - proximity to Austin tech boom, young population, booming economy, the next Texan frontier
3. Tulsa - strong aerospace sector and relative mid-point to Chicago and Dallas. Has been trying to go big on tech (see Tesla pitch). I think if Tulsa doesn’t get it, it goes to Fayetteville-Bentonville nearby.
Atlanta Regional Office
1. Birmingham - close to both Atlanta and Huntsville, both of which are booming
2. Tallahassee - FSU + state government + I can’t see Florida not getting one.
3. Winston-Salem - Charlotte’s capital + Raleigh’s R&D
Philadelphia Regional Office (the toughest one imo)
1. Buffalo - strong urban bones, cheap housing, plentiful water and going through a renaissance. Schumer will have a hemorrhage if Buffalo doesn’t get it.
2. Pittsburgh - universities + good urban bones + cheap housing
3. Providence - Gina Raimondo’s home city + within Boston’s biotech/Ivy sphere
I can’t them not having one in the NCR, so maybe a place like Norfolk?
Chicago Regional Office
1. Cincinnati - strong banking sector and lots of corporate benefactors. Big logistics/cargo hub.
2. Kalamazoo - Stryker + booming economy + universities + rail to Chicago
3. Springfield - state government + strong Illinois congressional backing + proximity to Chicago/Saint Louis (which is becoming a geospatial hub)
Denver Regional Office (another tough one)
1. Lincoln - University of Nebraska, strong economy, agricultural tech is big
2. Provo - Brigham Young University + proximity to Salt Lake City + good demographics (may be too close to Silicon Slopes though)
3. Sioux Falls - strong financial sector and has become a big hub of investment. Would definitely disperse tech ecosystem to underrepresented regions
The 2 Wild Cards - because why not:
1. San Juan - Biden has been making a push there, high unemployment, good strategic location and can become a Latin American tech magnet
2. Tucson - USG has gone all in on Phoenix as a semiconductor mecca. It logically follows that Tucson presents a good alternative with University of Arizona, strong economy, good industrial jobs, etc.
It might be ruled out for being too close to Boston.
Portland might make better sense for a New England city as its further from Boston and because ME has a really awful problem with brain-drain and an aging population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by manitopiaaa
The 2 Wild Cards - because why not:
1. San Juan - Biden has been making a push there, high unemployment, good strategic location and can become a Latin American tech magnet
Per the AP article "To qualify for the tech hub money, each applicant will need a partnership that includes one or more companies, a state development agency, worker training programs, a university and state and local government leaders."
I wonder if San Juan might not qualify with PR not being a state.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 05-12-2023 at 10:56 AM..
Lafayette West Lafayette is my guess for one of the chicago ones. Senator Young was one of the early movers on this thing and has a good relationship with the administration despite being a Republican.
If I had to name 20 that I think would benefit the most and have promise (and are geographically dispersed), here they are. I’ll probably be wrong on 18 of these but that’s ok:
Seattle Regional Office
1. Eugene - environmental tech would be a good fit given University of Oregon, proximity to Cascadian tech scene and relative affordability
2. Fresno - proximity to Bay Area/LA VC. I can’t imagine California won’t get a hub
3. Honolulu - the State has been trying to diversify from tourism, and proximity to Asia is a huge benefit. Techies would love the weather and the Government has a huge footprint here already that they can leverage (there is a national security component to the competition).
Austin Regional Office
1. Baton Rouge - LSU + big Army Corps of Engineers presence in Louisiana (STEM jobs)
2. San Antonio - proximity to Austin tech boom, young population, booming economy, the next Texan frontier
3. Tulsa - strong aerospace sector and relative mid-point to Chicago and Dallas. Has been trying to go big on tech (see Tesla pitch). I think if Tulsa doesn’t get it, it goes to Fayetteville-Bentonville nearby.
Atlanta Regional Office
1. Birmingham - close to both Atlanta and Huntsville, both of which are booming
2. Tallahassee - FSU + state government + I can’t see Florida not getting one.
3. Winston-Salem - Charlotte’s capital + Raleigh’s R&D
Philadelphia Regional Office (the toughest one imo)
1. Buffalo - strong urban bones, cheap housing, plentiful water and going through a renaissance. Schumer will have a hemorrhage if Buffalo doesn’t get it.
2. Pittsburgh - universities + good urban bones + cheap housing
3. Providence - Gina Raimondo’s home city + within Boston’s biotech/Ivy sphere
I can’t them not having one in the NCR, so maybe a place like Norfolk?
Chicago Regional Office
1. Cincinnati - strong banking sector and lots of corporate benefactors. Big logistics/cargo hub.
2. Kalamazoo - Stryker + booming economy + universities + rail to Chicago
3. Springfield - state government + strong Illinois congressional backing + proximity to Chicago/Saint Louis (which is becoming a geospatial hub)
Denver Regional Office (another tough one)
1. Lincoln - University of Nebraska, strong economy, agricultural tech is big
2. Provo - Brigham Young University + proximity to Salt Lake City + good demographics (may be too close to Silicon Slopes though)
3. Sioux Falls - strong financial sector and has become a big hub of investment. Would definitely disperse tech ecosystem to underrepresented regions
The 2 Wild Cards - because why not:
1. San Juan - Biden has been making a push there, high unemployment, good strategic location and can become a Latin American tech magnet
2. Tucson - USG has gone all in on Phoenix as a semiconductor mecca. It logically follows that Tucson presents a good alternative with University of Arizona, strong economy, good industrial jobs, etc.
If not Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse also have good reasons for being a location. Rochester has a tech history, talent and a high educational attainment. Syracuse is in a good location regionally, has a world renowned university/with another one an hour away and room to grow. Both are similar to Buffalo in terms of the factors mentioned above as well.
Atlanta Regional Office
1. Birmingham - close to both Atlanta and Huntsville, both of which are booming
I'm kinda curious which "hub" would be the best fit. I see strongest arguments for three:
(4) Robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing; - robotics have been a big part of the car manufacturing industry in Alabama, and Birmingham is central to a lot of them (More closely tied to Honda in Talladega County and Mercedes in Tuscaloosa County, but still close to Hyundai in Montgomery and Toyota in Huntsville)
(7) Biotechnology, medical technology, genomics, and synthetic biology; - UAB is a big thing, and it invests in a lot of local tech start ups
(9) Advanced energy and industrial efficiency technologies, such as batteries and advanced nuclear technologies, including but not limited to for the purposes of electric generation - Alabama Power is actually one of the biggest tech investors in the area, specifically for utilities focused tech. Southern Company is primarily headquartered in Atlanta, but Birmingham is its secondary and hosts most of its more engineer-y bits like Southern Company Services (common operations), Southern Nuclear, Southern Company Generation (fossil fuels & hydro), and Southern Power (wholesale electricity), whereas Atlanta is more uppermost management, cellular/internet and, oddly, natural gas.
I figure the 9 might be the best since it seems the most niche.
Anywho, a Nashville-Huntsville-Birmingham-Chattanooga-Atlanta tech corridor would be pretty sweet, especially since they'd all have some notable distinctive specialties
Pittsburgh has a relatively robust robotics/AI industry, actually, thanks to the presence of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt).
“ … effort has been aided by the establishment of the nonprofit Charleston Digital Corridor that focuses on high-wage, tech-oriented economic development, as well as the construction of the Charleston Tech Center, a building that opened in 2021 on the upper peninsula and has already reached 100 percent occupancy.”
“‘To retain talent, it’s really a priority to be in a great city that people want to live in,’ said Lee, sales director at Kontakt.io. ‘When people are weighing the pros and cons of living here and breaking into tech, that gives you another opportunity to keep them.’”
We decided to avoid the tech centers in California and New York, instead looking for a location allowing a balanced lifestyle for our employees,” he added. “In Charleston we found a hub for young, college graduated talent (and) a growing tech scene.”
“Ernest Andrade, founder and executive director of the Charleston Digital Corridor, has heard that plenty of times before. Charleston’s quality of life and relatively low cost of living — at least when compared to that of the San Francisco Bay area, Boston and New York — has helped the corridor expand from 18 companies to over 700, 51 of which are housed in the 92,000-square-foot Charleston Tech Center building.”
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