Technology Facilities Are Growing
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn recently announced plans to open a facility. This facility would build LCD screens for computers, televisions, and automobiles. The plans are to build it between Milwaukee and Chicago. The Company has pledged to invest $10 billion dollars to build the factory and have it open by 2020.
Foxconn estimates this will create 3,000 to 13,000 jobs in Southeastern Wisconsin. The company’s President Terry Guo said it will be the first LCD plant in the United States. The facility will be large enough to hold 11 football fields. According to the Governor’s website, “it is by far the state’s largest economic development project and is the largest corporate attraction project in U.S. history, as measured by jobs.”
This new area is referred to by some as "Wisconn Valley." It might be premature for Silicon Valley comparisons, but still an exciting announcement for the State of Wisconsin.
Artificial Intelligence Is Becoming Prominent
Last month, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) announced plans to build a $34 million-dollar academic facility. The focus? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Science education. Their goal is to position MSOE as an education leader in artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, cyber security, robotics, cloud technology and transformative technologies. School officials state, “the evolving technologies taught in this new building will fundamentally change the engineering, healthcare, and business sectors of our community.”
Everyone that has read my blogs knows they have increasingly focused on AI. It is greatly impacting our technology and the markets we serve. Mark Cuban believes the World’s first trillionaire will be the entrepreneur who masters AI.
Donations Progress Educational Opportunities
Thanks to generous donations to MSOE from Dwight and Dian Diercks, it is possible that AI master may come from MSOE. Students have access to modern classrooms, innovative laboratories, an auditorium, space to support MSOE business partners, and a state of the art data center with a GPU-accelerated supercomputer.
Dr. Diercks is an MSOE alum and serves as senior vice president at California-based NVIDIA (the inventor of the GPU and global leader in AI, supercomputing, and visual computing). NVIDIA's Deep Learning Institute recently partnered with government consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton and online training company Deeplearning.ai. The goal of this partnership is to expand the institute’s reach and train as many people as possible in AI programming.
New Jobs in New Cities
On Wisconsin. I can hear the Wisconsin Badger band playing the University fight song and official state song as I write this blog. Madison ranked 16th in a report issued earlier this year for “The Top 25 Next in Tech Cities Fostering Startup Growth.” The list includes 25 cities poised to add 1M new jobs to the technology sector in the next five years.
Inc Magazine also published an article earlier this year titled, “Forget Silicon Valley, Move Your Startup Any of These 3 Places.” Drum roll, please…Milwaukee, WI, Salt Lake City, UT and Buffalo, NY. The article cited a 145% increase in venture capital growth for Milwaukee as a major reason. This combined with the lower cost of living, makes this a great place
Tom Stills, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, acknowledges the growth potential for tech startups in Madison and Milwaukee. He has, however, questioned the accuracy of the Inc’s claim of 145% increase for Milwaukee. Hart Posen, University of Wisconsin professor and start-up expert, indicated results need to analyzed with a “grain of salt.” He followed that with “universities in Madison & Milwaukee play a large role in start-up culture.”
Regardless of the conflicting reports. Who doesn’t love Beer, Brats, and Cheese?
About the Author: Troy Burke
With 30 years of experience providing clients with stellar service and strategic solutions for growth and development, Troy is committed to ensuring his customers receive the highest quality solution, training and support with every implementation. He frequently speaks on the topic of redaction and is actively involved with National Association of Court Management, Property Records Industry Association and several other government organizations.