Why Phoenix Became A Hot Spot For Tech Companies

While cities like Austin, Texas have garnered attention for drawing tech companies away from Silicon Valley, another hub is emerging as a major power player — Phoenix, Arizona. The fifth largest U.S. city has been a longtime hub for aerospace and defense, now it’s becoming an epicenter of semiconductor manufacturing and autonomous vehicles. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company recently completed the most advanced chip fab on U.S. soil and has pledged to invest $65 billion in the area. The city is also where Waymo launched its commercial robotaxi service, and now it’s the new home of Amazon’s long-awaited Prime Air drone delivery service. CNBC's Kate Rooney goes behind the scenes of Amazon's cutting-edge drone delivery operation and explores how Phoenix became a hot spot for tech companies. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:22 Post WWII boom 4:21 Rise of the Silicon Desert 8:48 Autonomous vehicles 10:54 Amazon drone delivery 13:21 Looking ahead Produced, Shot and Edited by Andrew Evers Reporter Kate Rooney Field Producer Kevin Schmidt Senior Director Jeniece Pettitt Additional Reporting and Production Katie Tarasov Additional Camera Jacob Jimenez Animation Jason Reginato Additional footage: Waymo, Amazon, TSMC, Honeywell, Getty Images, Intel » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Want to up your AI skills and be more productive? Take CNBC’s new online course on “How to use AI to be More Successful at Work" to leverage AI at work, and in life. Sign up now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+ taxes and fees) through February 11, 2025: https://cnb.cx/40jZlNX Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC on WhatsApp: https://cnb.cx/WhatsAppCNBC #CNBC Why Phoenix Became A Hot Spot For Tech Companies