UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and thought leaders map a competitive future for San Antonio

Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of greater:SATX, spoke at the Council of Competitiveness event hosted by UTSA last week.

MARCH 17, 2025 — UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and Council on Competitiveness President and CEO Deborah L. Wince-Smith co-hosted an event last week featuring a lineup of strategic discussions and panels focused on securing an ongoing competitive edge for the San Antonio region as well as the instrumental role that UTSA can play in fueling innovation and economic growth. The summit, which was part of a series titled “Competitiveness Conversations Across America,” explored the strengths that differentiate the region and strategies to position San Antonio to serve as a model for other innovation ecosystems across the country.

Discussions centered on critical infrastructure security and the pressing need to secure and shore up key industries through a range of tactics including workforce development, public-private partnerships to support entrepreneurial enterprises and investing in mission-critical infrastructure such as water and the power grid.

Speakers highlighted a number of key industries in which San Antonio excels, including cybersecurity, AI, data science, quantum computing, space engineering and technology, and semiconductors.

“We’re creating a college that specifically aligns disciplines that are needed to come together to drive innovation in this digital space.”

Council on Competitiveness President and CEO Deborah L. Wince-Smith (left) and UTSA President Taylor Eighmy (right) discussed the instrumental role that UTSA can play in fueling innovation and economic growth.

Eighmy discussed the vital role UTSA’s new College of AI, Cyber and Computing will play in creating a talent pipeline to support growth in these areas.

“We’re creating a college that specifically aligns disciplines that are needed to come together to drive innovation in this digital space, and cyber is such an important component of it,” Eighmy said. “It will be tied to data science, computer engineering and AI applications.”

Wince-Smith emphasized the importance of incorporating security into each of these growing industries and “embedding resiliency in all systems.”

“This is not just a technical necessity; it is a digital imperative to stay secure and resilient,” she added.

Congressman Tony Gonzales echoed these sentiments. “Adversaries are working around the clock to outsmart us,” he said, “so we have to defend our systems around the clock as well.”

Often referred to as “Military City USA,” San Antonio is considered a leader in security, including national security, cybersecurity and cybersecure manufacturing.

“This place is at the heart of the national security enterprise, which is more important than ever,” Wince-Smith said.

UTSA’s National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) and its affiliated Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) will play an instrumental role in cultivating the talent, research and partnerships needed to drive San Antonio’s ascent as a leading hub in security.

Dave Brown, executive director of NSCC, plans to leverage strategic partnerships to build upon the center’s achievements.

“Public-private partnership is a focus for NSCC. Investors want to invest in national security projects, and we need to get them involved in these partnerships,” he said. Brown added that the center would also focus on lowering barriers to businesses and broadening access to facilities and resources.

Several participants emphasized the importance of foundational infrastructure like water and energy, which are vital to growth in these emerging industries.

“The energy needs of the state have increased rapidly, and are expected to double by 2030,” said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of greater:SATX. Saucedo-Herrera called for more investment in solar, nuclear and other power sources to meet the bourgeoning needs of a digital economy, noting that the average power demand of firms considering the San Antonio region is currently 40 megawatts, compared to the eight megawatts needed only a few years ago. The demand is particularly pressing for San Antonio as it grows in energy-intensive fields like AI, quantum, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

Those same industries also require an abundance of water, Saucedo-Herrera and others noted. Among its many uses, water is crucial for cooling in data centers.

“Typically, data centers use three to five million gallons of water per day,” said Korry Castillo, associate deputy comptroller for the Texas Comptroller’s office. “New businesses are not going to come if we don’t have that infrastructure to support them.” Castillo urged government to continue to prioritize water resilience in its funding and policy.

Eighmy and other speakers described San Antonio as a model for growth in the knowledge industries and a sandbox for entrepreneurism and innovation.

“The [Council on Competitiveness] is going to take what we learned from our conversations and spread it nationally to talk about why this part of the world is important for the digital infrastructure of our nation and protecting it,” Eighmy said.

— Audrey Gray