Redefining the Desert: Arizona’s Evolution in Tech and Leadership
By Staff Writer Tino Heather Mavunga
Arizona’s image has long been defined by timeless desert landscapes and historic charm. But behind this familiar backdrop, a quiet revolution has been reshaping the state’s future. Ten years ago, Arizona was synonymous with Saguaro cacti, Western movie backdrops, Grand Canyon vacations, and the nostalgic charm of Old Scottsdale. Today, something has shifted dramatically.
In 2015, Arizona's GDP grew a modest 0.9 percent, with a Gross State Product of about $310 billion. Fast forward to 2025, and Arizona’s economy has surged to approximately $508 billion. The state has aggressively expanded its budget, nearly doubling core funding from roughly $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2015 to about $18 billion today. Total appropriations across all funds now exceed $64 billion. This growth reflects economic expansion. A larger economy means more income, more businesses, and more jobs, which generally increases the state’s financial capacity.
Research, development, and innovation spending have also soared. In 2021, Arizona allocated approximately $1.52 billion to academic R&D. The state’s strategic investments in sectors like semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence, bolstered by partnerships with institutions like Arizona State University, highlight its commitment to innovation.
What does this transformation mean for Arizona’s identity and its place on the international stage? From new job opportunities and emerging industries to improved quality of life, Arizona is building more than an economy; It is building a future powered by responsible innovation and growth.
As Arizona’s economy and innovation surge forward, Global Ties Arizona actively connects the state to the world. GTAZ brings international leaders together with Arizona’s innovators and changemakers, creating powerful opportunities for collaboration and growth.
“Arizona’s story is no longer just local, it is global,” said Kristin Allen, CEO of Global Ties Arizona. “Every tech investment, AI policy, and international exchange shapes how we show up in the world. Our mission is to make sure Arizona’s innovation leads and resonates globally.”
By forging strong international partnerships and driving meaningful exchanges, Global Ties Arizona fuels Arizona’s rise on the global stage and keeps the flow of ideas and innovation vibrant and ongoing.
Bold Civic Leadership Driving Local Innovation
Arizona’s policy environment is accelerating the state’s tech momentum. Governor Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego represent a new generation of leadership focused on long-term infrastructure and innovation. Governor Hobbs launched one of the nation’s first AI Steering Committees at the state level, bringing together public and private sector leaders to coordinate ethical and strategic AI adoption.
At the 2025 State of the City Address in May, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said, “We’ve created more jobs, and good jobs, the kind that change lives. Wages are up nearly 50 percent in five years. We're building the water and transportation infrastructure we need to thrive.”
At the heart of this statewide transformation is AZ360, Arizona’s sleek, cloud-powered backbone for government operations, launched on the 4th of June 2025. The platform integrates payroll, human resources, and finance across twenty-one state agencies. More than just a systems upgrade, AZ360 represents a digital shift in how the government serves its people. With real-time analytics and robust security protocols, it sets a new standard for efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness in the public sector. This is civic technology done right, placing Arizona among the few states redefining how government works.
As Arizona’s technology sector expands, so does its demand for power, especially from fast-scaling industries like advanced manufacturing and hyperscale data centers. With dozens of these facilities already operating or under development in the Phoenix metro area, electricity usage is projected to rise sharply in the years ahead. At the same time, Arizona’s climate challenges make clean, reliable energy an urgent priority.
Salt River Project is a not-for-profit utility serving the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. Serving more than 2 million people in the greater Phoenix area, SRP is focused on building a reliable, affordable and sustainable energy mix that includes solar, battery storage, wind, hydropower and natural gas.
“To meet growing energy demand, SRP is working to at least double the capacity of its power system in the next 10 years while maintaining reliability and affordability and making continued progress toward our sustainability goals,” said Hilen Cruz, SRP Manager of Strategic Engagement and Global Ties Arizona board member. “SRP will accomplish this through an all of the above approach that includes renewables, natural gas and storage resources.”
In 2023 alone, SRP customers saved over 636,000 megawatt-hours through energy efficiency programs, enough to power approximately 50,000 homes for a year. The utility also invested more than $4.7 million in local nonprofits, provided over 40,000 classroom materials to Arizona teachers, and contributed $1.7 million through employee-led giving. SRP volunteers logged more than 22,000 hours. Through initiatives like Light Up Navajo, the company is helping electrify homes in tribal communities, expanding access for over 1,000 households.
But it is not just infrastructure that is evolving. Arizona’s innovation economy also depends on software solutions that make public systems more adaptive, efficient, and intelligent. Local companies are stepping up to meet that need.
Local Innovators Are Driving Needed Software Solutions
Mercurio Analytics, a Phoenix-based data and analytics software company, delivers a composable data management and advanced analytics platform, Mercurio D4, that modernizes state and local government agencies in months. Using modern strategies and tools, Mercurio D4 integrates fragmented data and legacy systems into a unified, secure enterprise foundation, enabling agencies to adopt emerging technologies securely, compliantly, and without disrupting day-to-day operations. Recognized by Leading Cities and QBE as one of the Top 50 Global Resilience Solutions, Mercurio is redefining how governments harness innovation and data advancements securely and compliantly to lead with clarity, efficiency, and impact.
Minky Kernacs, Co-Founder of Mercurio, also chairs the Arizona Technology Council’s AI Ecosystem Committee, where she drives responsible AI adoption, education, policy awareness, and cross-sector collaboration across the state.
After 15 years advising Fortune 500 companies, Minky Kernacs found her passion and a way to give back on a larger scale while partnering with Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS), the largest government-funded behavioral health agency in the United States. Her solution supported the implementation of the recovery-oriented model of care through a digital twin approach, helping DBHIDS align people, processes, and tools across the organization. This resulted in a 22 percent reduction in homelessness, then consistently by 40 percent, along with other system-wide improvements. Seeing the impact of her work, Minky founded Mercurio in 2020 to give communities of all sizes access to the same clarity, coordination, and capacity for transformation.
Through her leadership at the AI Ecosystem Committee, Minky brings together AI leaders, professionals, educators, public-sector representatives, and enthusiasts to position Arizona as a national leader in innovation. The committee’s work focuses on real-world implementations, emerging strategies and technologies, and practical use cases across sectors such as healthcare, workforce, mining, hospitality, and public policy. Their efforts include sharing best practices, informing legislators on ethical frameworks and privacy standards, supporting AI talent, and sponsoring collaborative partnerships. By grounding their work in applied innovation, the committee is accelerating responsible AI adoption, strengthening Arizona’s economic resilience, and securing its role as a national leader in technology and innovation.
In a July 2025 interview with Global Ties Arizona staff, Minky commented: “Global Ties Arizona serves as a vital conduit for building meaningful, long-term relationships that support AZ's international partnerships and mission. It’s all about relationships. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, it still comes down to people. I see that continuing to be essential in the future, and Global Ties Arizona excels at it.”
That same focus on connection and forward-thinking is reflected in Arizona’s academic institutions, particularly at Arizona State University, which is shaping the next generation of global leaders and innovators.
Arizona State University: Engineered for the Future
With campuses across Tempe, Phoenix, and Mesa, Arizona State University is a global hub for research and innovation. Its Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Thunderbird School of Global Management, ASU Online, and various colleges collectively produce AI-literate, globally fluent graduates at scale. In 2024, ASU celebrated its largest graduating class ever and surpassed 100,000 ASU Online alumni.
The university is unapologetically pro-AI, training students not only to use artificial intelligence but to shape its future across industries. ASU is a strategic partner for Global Ties Arizona, connecting esteemed faculty, knowledge experts, and graduate students to international visitor opportunities, research collaborations, and cultural exchange.
In partnership with the Thunderbird School of Global Management, the Young Diplomats Summer Institute has found its annual summer home at the Downtown Phoenix campus. Volunteers from the Thunderbird Campus Ambassadors Program help run the week-long program, which introduces high school students to essential concepts in diplomacy, leadership, and international affairs.
Over five half-day sessions, students engage in interactive workshops, group activities, and discussions led by local professionals and international experts drawn from Thunderbird, ASU, and the wider academic community including Creighton University. Former ambassadors and honorary consuls have been past speakers. Over a hot week-long summer in Phoenix, a mini United Nations diplomatic ecosystem is established that empowers these students to explore global challenges, practice cross-cultural communication, and build foundational skills for leadership in international spaces.
ASU faculty who have supported the International Visitor Leadership Program include Dr Timiebi Aganaba. Dr Aganaba is an assistant professor of Space and Society in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at ASU. She has worked on space governance at the global level as executive director of the World Space Week Association and implemented the UN World Space Week declaration. Earlier this year, she hosted international visitors from Australia, India, and Japan.
Dr. Aganaba says, “We saw firsthand how Arizona’s space strategy can be shaped not only by its technological strengths, but by its openness to diverse regulatory philosophies, legal cultures, and values. These global exchanges elevate Arizona’s role from a regional space player to a convener of globally inclusive and ethically grounded space partnerships.”
Arizona is emerging as a strategic location for the space economy. Integrating space into the local economy means leveraging the state’s natural assets such as its open spaces, climate, and real estate, as well as its innovation ecosystem and policy leadership. International collaboration and cross-cultural understanding are foundational to effective and equitable space governance.
This alignment between ASU’s pioneering work, Arizona’s semiconductor ecosystem, and the burgeoning space economy positions the state as a global hub where AI, robotics, and semiconductors come together to shape both terrestrial industries and humanity’s next frontier in space.
How To Get Involved: Join Arizona’s Journey Forward
Arizona’s growth in technology and leadership is being powered by real people, people who care, who show up, and who want to make a difference. This is a moment to come together and help shape a future that reflects our Arizonan values and Saguaron potential.
If you believe in the power of young leaders, supporting the Young Diplomats program means opening doors for Arizona’s youth to gain skills and experience that will echo far beyond our borders.
If connection and community matter to you, the Worldly Women Collective offers a space to build relationships with inspiring women making a difference both locally and globally.
And if you want to build bridges that cross cultures and continents, opening your home as a Home Hospitality host to an international visiting leader is a simple yet powerful way to foster understanding and friendship.
There is no small role in shaping Arizona’s future. Every conversation, every connection, every act moves us forward.
This is our moment to lead with purpose, to show that innovation and inclusion are not competing ideas but partners in progress. Join us. Be part of a stronger, smarter Arizona that is ready for the world—and ready to lead it.
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