Tampa Bay Unveils Future-Ready Plan with AI, Data Centers, and Marine Tech

The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council released a plan that names artificial intelligence, tech infrastructure, and ocean technology as three priorities for 2026-2028. The plan follows eight months of study and aims to strengthen where the area stands in a changing economy.

CEO Craig Richard said the emerging trends represent chances to "compete successfully" in a shifting market. The plan, titled Future Ready: Tampa Bay, builds on existing strengths while adding new business development positions focused on AI, cybersecurity, and defense sectors.

"When you're talking to somebody from London about relocating to the Tampa Bay area, they have no idea where city and county lines are: it's one market," said Richard, according to St. Pete Catalyst. "The regionalism aspect, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, it's here."

The University of South Florida's Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing gives the area a new asset. The college is the nation's first dedicated to bringing together those subjects. Richard called it a magnet for tech companies seeking talent and partnership opportunities with USF.

MacDill Air Force Base hosts U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. Both need new technology to remain successful and keep soldiers safe across the world, and local business has grown over the past decade.

"The big defense contractors typically locate in close proximity to (Washington) D.C., for lobbying and advocacy reasons," Richard explained. "When the technology becomes more specialized, then you tend to see them co-locate closer to the users of that technology. And that's what we're seeing now."

Richard said "a lot of education needs to occur" regarding tech infrastructure. The metro area is home to about 14 data centers. Investments in fiber optic networks and proximity to these facilities "are going to be critical for our competitiveness," Richard said.

The plan calls for partnerships with utility and internet service providers to find sites and needs for data centers. New technologies are creating efficiencies despite the facilities needing vast amounts of energy, Richard noted.

The St. Petersburg Innovation District houses the USF College of Marine Science, the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, and several other organizations. Port Tampa Bay and MacDill are critical to area and national maritime defense. Richard said his group "stands ready" to help partners in building an ocean tech ecosystem.