How to Build Tech Hubs in the American Heartland
Regions in the US interior are well-positioned to revive their manufacturing industries with new technology.
College towns can be anchors for regional tech economies. But many in the Heartland like Ann Arbor, Michigan, are still exporting much of their best talent.
Photographer: Davel5957/iStock Unreleased/Getty
The nature and geography of American innovation are in the midst of change. For the past half century, the most exciting areas for high-tech innovation involved breakthroughs in entirely new fields. Today, many of the most important apply new technologies like robotics, electrification and artificial intelligence to existing industries.
This is a major opportunity for regions that have been left behind by the historic tech dominance of just a few coastal cities. Regions in the middle of the US are well-positioned to revive their key manufacturing industries with new technologies.