Tech leaders,researchers gathered at UC San Diego to dig into city's AI and computing prospects. Part of 'Competitiveness Conversations' series by Council on Competitiveness,the panel underscored San Diego's big role in national economy.
Deborah Wince-Smith, Council's president,pointed out Greater San Diego's tech workforce tops 100,000. One of US's densest hubs for engineers,scientists. The region pulls in over $54 billion yearly,ranking it among top three global biotech centers.
UC San Diego chancellor Pradeep Khosla said university is key driver, contributing $25 billion Many focus on cancer,a field where AI is making headway.
Professor Ludmil Alexandrov,from Bioengineering and Cellular and Molecular Medicine departments, talked about AI's role in transforming cancer risk assessment. “We can now aggregate huge amounts of data and try to assign cancer risk to individuals,” he explained. AI speeds up diagnoses,optimizes treatments,changing health-to-disease journey.
But AI and advanced computing come with costs. Ramesh Rao,director of Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego, pointed to high energy,water costs in running large-scale computing here. Suggested moving these centers to cheaper locations.
“Running large-scale computing puts San Diego at a disadvantage,” Rao said. Partnerships from July 21 event might tackle these challenges . He didn't detail specific collaborations but was optimistic about future .
Venture capital also boosts San Diego's economy. The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation said region attracted $3 billion in venture funding first quarter 2026,with 80% for AI. Mark Cafferty, president of EDC, called it inflection point for the city .
Cafferty outlined plans for economic roadmaps focusing on defense innovation,early-stage technologies,international trade. These aim to spot investment opportunities to keep San Diego competitive. He mentioned fall projects to draw investments like those earlier this year .
“Regardless of direction the innovation ecosystem takes in San Diego, I know it will be supported,” Cafferty asserted . “That’s the story of San Diego,and that support just continues to grow.”
