Driverless cars will be key to driving the success of a new economic plan for the Valley. Autonomous vehicles are among four industries that the Greater Phoenix Economic Council thinks will establish the region as a leader in the Internet of Things and sensor technology applications.

A fast-moving, two-minute video ran through the history of the Internet and ends with the words: Greater Phoenix: The Connected Place. The video was part of a forum last week at ASU SkySong where GPEC unveiled its Global Investment Plan. Panelist Wayne Chavez with NXP Semiconductors told the audience that autonomous vehicle technology is about much more than cars.  

“It’s about the broader infrastructure that’s around the vehicle itself, right?” he said. “The interconnectivity of the vehicle: vehicle to vehicle communication, vehicle to infrastructure, time recognition, automated, it’s safe, it’s secure. There’s a whole bunch of elements there that are leveragable out of autonomous vehicles.” 

GPEC’s plan also calls for attracting foreign investment in the areas of industrial automation, cyber security and wearable devices, especially in health care.