Ahead of TechNet’s 2025 State Policy Conference, we’re highlighting initiatives driving innovation at the state and local level. Whether it’s establishing new centers for job growth, supporting local businesses, or working directly with civic and state government agencies, learn how tech is supporting innovation at the state and local level in this week’s Tech at Work.

How Tech is Supporting State and Local Communities

Airbnb published information on a new Michigan tourism proposal that could deliver over $20 million a year locally for essential services.

Accel announced its seed investment in a software platform for local government agencies that recently landed its first state-level contract with Maryland’s park system.

Amazon explained 4 ways it is investing in the state of New York through economic, educational, and local opportunities.

Anthropic provided its first-ever detailed assessment of how AI use differs state-by-state.

Apple launched a new project to protect and restore California’s redwood forest.

Aurora announced its second driverless route in Texas from Fort Worth to El Paso, six months after its inaugural Dallas to Houston route.

Clayco celebrated the groundbreaking of the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park.

CLEAR partnered with New Jersey’s largest health network, Hackensack Meridian Health, to create faster and more convenient patient experiences.

Comcast celebrated over a decade of deep-rooted commitment and investment in Illinois.

Garmin participated in the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Made in Kansas program, designed to showcase products made in the state.

Google invested $9 billion in South Carolina to expand AI infrastructure and support local workforce programs.

HPE announced that the University of Utah and State of Utah will accelerate medical research and expand regional economic development with an HPE and NVIDIA-powered sovereign AI factory.

Intuit published its 2025 rankings of high school financial literacy, applauding states that provide public high school students with a personal finance course before graduation.

Nuro described why it chose Los Angeles County as a testing location, and how the region is the ideal environment where self-driving technology can make a meaningful impact.

OpenAI announced that it is expanding Stargate through a new campus in Michigan, supporting economic growth in the Midwest.

QTS Data Centers advanced plans for a data center campus in Dane County, Wisconsin, that would be a landmark investment in the state’s long-term growth.

Revolution detailed the city of Atlanta’s blueprint for becoming a top-five tech hub.

Salesforce described how the City of Kyle, Texas, is using Agentforce to transform community engagement and create a centralized service model.

Samsara was selected as the Connected Operations Platform for the State of California so public sector entities in the state can optimize operations, safeguard communities, and maximize taxpayer dollars.

Scale partnered with local schools and communities in Missouri to bring hands-on learning, curriculum development, and career-focused programs to students of all backgrounds.

Serve Robotics expanded to Chicago, bringing autonomous deliveries and establishing a major hub in the Midwest.

Strava highlighted creator and community stories ahead of the 2025 New York City Marathon.

Uber gave advice on how Maryland drivers can meet state identification requirements after national Real ID legislation was passed.

UnitedHealth partnered with Children’s Minnesota to launch a grant initiative to improve pediatric health outcomes in the state by bringing care directly to families.

Verizon announced a partnership between its Great Lakes offices and the Chicago Bears to provide $2 million in medical debt relief for Illinois veterans.

Waymo announced it is starting operations in Nashville, Tennessee, and will open to public riders next year.

Zillow celebrated National Fair Housing Month by awarding $100,000 in total grants to ten nonprofits across the country, including two each in Maine and Illinois.

New in Tech

Block, Grubhub Partner to Upgrade Restaurant Ordering Ecosystem

Block, Inc. has announced a comprehensive partnership with Grubhub to upgrade restaurants’ food ordering ecosystem through a deep integration. This collaboration introduces two key features: streamlining restaurant management via Square’s point-of-sale system integration and offering consumers Cash App Pay as a new payment option. The partnership will help solve pain points for both restaurants and customers, while expanding access to millions of potential customers for restaurants.

Tech Spotlight

Proof developed Certify to solve the existential problem of falsified content, deepfakes, and digital impersonation exacerbated by Generative AI. Certify enables instantly authorized digital signing of any type of content using a verified legal identity, representing a technological leap from basic e-signatures. By cryptographically signing all media and data, Certify generates irrefutable digital evidence that creates verifiable records for everything from tax returns to wire instructions, creating a chain of trust.