As the development of the tech industry and artificial intelligence (AI) expands, there is an increasing demand for AI-driven technologies and tech sector companies located outside Silicon Valley. With our central location and a manufacturing employment industry twice the size of the national average, Indiana is poised to become a state that champions the development of the tech industry and especially AI. Development of the tech industry is guaranteed to bring Hoosiers a multitude of economic benefits, including higher-paying jobs, lower inflation prices, stronger exports and greater innovation. We should seek to attract tech sector companies and the economic benefits they bring by investing in our infrastructure, both physical and digital.  

Certainly, Indiana is home to a manufacturing industry that supports the state’s economy, and our leaders are working to ensure we can support a leading tech industry, too. To invest in the tech sector, we must equip Indiana with the industrial energy needed to support a range of tech developments, from new companies to AI data centers. After all, AI data centers, which act as hubs for the growing tech sector companies, are already making their move to the Hoosier state and are reported to have an energy demand that will increase 160% by 2030. The more energy available, the faster data is processed, the more secure our systems are, and the more companies that will locate themselves here in Indiana. Imagine the next great technology entrepreneurs hailing from Bloomington, South Bend, or Indianapolis instead of California or New York. 

It is also in our best interest to equip digital infrastructure, including our broadband internet access. Investing in the future of AI through the improvement of broadband means addressing the “digital divide” among Hoosier residents. There is a lack of broadband connection that negatively affects rural communities and their access to online education and internet reliability. Reliable and quick broadband is not only necessary to operate tech companies efficiently, but it is also necessary to reach consumers and the communities they live in.  

To continue to attract existing and new tech companies, sustain their growth and reap the benefits they bring to every Indiana business, large and small, the Hoosier state must also modernize its infrastructure for effective performance. Using outdated infrastructure will keep us from achieving our full potential. For example, consider the rapidly growing U.S.-based manufacturing of microchips. As Purdue University’s Chief Semiconductor Officer, Mark Lundstrom, said, “Companies tend to like to go to locations where there is already that infrastructure, where that supply chain is in place. That’s a challenge for us because this is a new industry for us.” To attract these tech sector companies, we must distribute the infrastructural and natural resources needed to manufacture these AI technologies across our state.  

By investing in the tech sector’s future, Indiana will reap the benefits of this growing industry and the future of America’s economy. Existing tech leaders and up-and-coming start-ups already have invested billions of dollars into their local Indiana facilities. At the same time, these companies have committed to investing in the local economy by bolstering the job market and investing in our infrastructure that supports these facilities and communities.  

Tech companies, their investments, their data centers, and their cutting-edge technology are bringing immeasurable benefits to Indiana. That is why our infrastructure must be equipped to process the influx of energy-powered technologies, address internet needs, offer reliable connections and efficiently modernize our state.  

By investing in our state’s infrastructure and creating a welcoming environment where companies can thrive, Hoosiers will see incredible economic and community growth. We should not pass this opportunity up. When our state invests in the future of technology, in the future of AI, we are ensuring Indiana has a place at the table in our modern, 21^st-century world and global economy. 

Clayton Whitson  

President/CEO 

 Madison County Chamber of Commerce