Interview by Jonathan Kersting
The Pittsburgh autonomy sector has reached critical mass and has the potential to become a major player in the global market, a new study finds. But urgent action is needed to compete more effectively against other regions and to encourage autonomy companies to locate and remain in Southwestern Pennsylvania as they mature and grow.
The report — “Forefront: Securing Pittsburgh’s Break-out Position in Autonomous Mobile Systems” — was issued by Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce with research conducted by TEConomy Partners.
The culmination of a nine-month long study, the report finds that the Pittsburgh region is one of the top centers for autonomous mobile systems — a sector predicted to grow to a $1 trillion+ global market by 2026, with an estimated 5,000 jobs and a $10 billion impact for a region that captures 1 percent of that global market growth.
The study was conducted with funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, and the region’s top autonomous technology companies, including Argo AI, Aurora, Carnegie Robotics, Motional, Seegrid, and Thoro.ai.