San Jose's AI incubator plan

One of San Jose's most prolific supporters, Gary Dillabough, is championing an "AI Center of Excellence" in Downtown San Jose. The goal would be to create an accelerator for dozens of AI startups in partnership with Plug and Play Tech Center and the City of San Jose.

Plug and Play is working on the concept and would run the day-to-day operations of the center. They are currently headquartered at 4420 N. Wolfe Road in Sunnyvale and have multiple innovation centers around the world. It's not clear where the Downtown San Jose location would be yet.

In addition to the incubator, there would also be a learning center whole goal is to get 7th through 12th graders inspired about AI and generate the next generation of entrepreneurs. There would also be a showcase featuring outcomes from the program. For a lot more details, check out the source link below.

Source: SVBJ

Grok2-generated image of "AI in San Jose"

San Jose to be part of five Bay Area air-taxi locations

How would you like to quickly hop between San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Livermore in just 10-15 minutes? How about Napa for an additional 15-30 minutes? That is exactly what Archer Aviation is planning in the Bay Area.

Archer is planning to build air mobility hubs, with the main one being at Kilroy's Oyster Point in South San Francisco. The San Jose location appears to be the private aviation facility at San Jose International Airport.

Archer is building electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) that seat the pilot and up to four passengers and their carry-on luggage. The aircraft go up to 150 mph and skip all ground traffic. A 90 minute drive can become a 10 minute flight.

Timing is not available nor is pricing, but this will be a hot industry to watch as several companies are entering this space. I'm all for any alternatives that will help people bypass highway traffic.

Source: Businesswire

San Jose is one of America's most creative cities

San Jose was recently ranked as America's 9th most creative city by Singulart. This was based on criteria such as the percentage of people surveyed that are training to be in a creative field, create art, work with textiles, redesign rooms at home, and hours spent on creative hobbies each week. San Jose scored very highly in hobbies such as photography.

New York unsurprisingly came in at #1, LA was #13, and SF was #19. For more info head over to the source link below.

Source: Singulart

San Jose's Electric Light Tower and its connection to the Eiffel Tower

Built in 1881, the San Jose Electric Light Tower was one of the 50 tallest man-made structures on earth upon completion. It stood nearly as tall as the Signia Hotel in Downtown San Jose, but was built over 120 years ago. Not only was it extremely innovative for its time (illuminating a half-mile radius), but there several connections between this project and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This is all the more reason to build a new landmark that pays homage to San Jose's Electric Light Tower.

You can now rent Tom Wohlmut's exceptional documentary linking the San Jose Electric Light Tower to the Eiffel Tower over here. The 56 minute film takes you through a journey of how San Jose's innovative light tower was built, how it brought San Jose international recognition, and how it was tragically destroyed. 

There were also several short interviews recorded about the relationship between the two towers that not many people had the chance to see. You can find those videos embedded below. 

Mario Fontana ETH-Zurich from TAW on Vimeo.

Bernard Meurtin Interview from TAW on Vimeo.

Corentin Interview Ver 1.0 from TAW on Vimeo.

World's first radio show was in... San Jose

SJtoday had a great post last week about a San Jose invention most people don't realize came from San Jose, the radio. Well, there is some debate on who invented the actual radio technology, but at minimum the first radio broadcasts were in San Jose. 

It all went back to the early 1900s, well before the Silicon  Valley era. Charles David "Doc" Herrold was the first radio broadcaster in the world and in 1910 created the first radio show. At one point, he had to tap into San Jose street car power lines for transmission. It's an interesting story and you can check it out at the source link below.

Source: SJtoday

Tunneling in San Jose could be much cheaper in the near future

Most people don't see disruptive technology coming. It's often met with a lot of skepticism. There are plenty of famous quotes about computers or the internet. In 1943 The president of IBM said "I think there is a world market for about five computers." In 1995 Newsweek published an article that said, “The internet is just a fad.” However, even today in markets that have been stagnant for decades or even a century we're seeing disruption.

People laughed when Elon wanted to build electric cars. Tesla is now worth more every other car company combined. They laughed again when he wanted to start a rocket company. Today there are 7,702 active satellites in space--5,000 of them belong to SpaceX. By the end of next year, SpaceX will have launched more satellites than every government entity around the world combined over the past 66 years. So now... of course, there had to be much skepticism in the San Jose development community about the Boring Company. Tunnels have been built almost the same way for 100 years, what could the company possibly do differently?

Apparently a lot. The Boring Company already has a functioning tunnel network in Las Vegas with 4 active stations and capacity for 5,000 people/hour. It took one year to build. That will expand to 69 stations and capacity for over 100,000 people/hour over the next few years (not decades). They have managed to get to a cost of $10 million/mile for 14-ft wide tunnels with 2nd generation tunneling machines using EV motors and batteries. Now it looks like they might be able to triple tunnel construction speed with hexagonal wall tiles.

The big benefit is that all the pieces are exactly the same, cutting costs significantly. Fewer segments are required per mile and it enables continuous mining. There are challenges and disadvantages as well, especially around water, but if they can push through them they will very likely disrupt tunneling. It gets a bit nerdy, but there is a 15min video in the source link below that goes into exactly how this new process would work versus existing methods.

What this means for us, is perhaps there will be a future where we can bring VTA Light Rail underground or perhaps offer Personal Rapid Transit (autonomous pods) or other forms of transportation at a lower cost to San Joseans. After seeing BART costs swell to $2 billion per mile for the Downtown San Jose extension, there has to be a better solution long-term for other projects.

Full disclosure that San Jose did reach out to The Boring Company as an option to connect San Jose International Airport with Diridon in Downtown San Jose. They never responded to a RFI and things fell through. 

That doesn't mean there couldn't be other opportunities in the future to work together. A fun fact is that the original Tesla factory was supposed to be in North San Jose/Alviso. However, an opportunity to take over NUMMI presented itself in 2010 and the rest is history. Hopefully the door is still open for The Boring Company and San Jose to work together in some capacity.

Source: nextBIG Future

San Jose ranked as the #1 most innovative metro in the US

San Jose and the San Jose metro (the true definition of Silicon Valley) have become synonymous with innovation. One of the ways we can gauge this is by the number of patents filed in each region. In this metric, San Jose completely crushes any other metro in the US with 9,798 patents filed last year. NYC came in second with 6,275 patents and San Francisco got the bronze with 4,919 patents. That is already extremely impressive. But that's not the whole story...

The San Jose metro has a population of 2 million people. NYC, the runner up, has a population of almost 20 million people (!!!). So despite having 10% of the population, San Jose still filed more patents than an area more populous than most States. Even when you look at our neighbors up North, the SF Metro includes Oakland and Alameda County and has a total population of 4.6 million. So again, despite being less than half the size we filed double the patents as the SF metro. This is a key reason why the US Patent Office decided to open a satellite location in San Jose, not San Francisco.

Make no mistake, we are still the innovation capital of the world by far.

Top 25 Most Innovative US Metros (Patents Filed)

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (9,798)

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (6,275)

San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA (4,919)

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (3,773)

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (2,091)

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (1,798)

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, VA (1,489)

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (1,190)

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (896)

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA (812)

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (770)

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL (761)

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (626)

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE (532)

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (499)

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (453)

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (404)

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN (321)

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (315)

Raleigh-Cary, NC (289)

Bloomington, IL (282)

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (265)

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (238)

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT (235)

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (185)

Source: Bay Area Inno

Daimler and Bosch will trial autonomous taxis in San Jose

All roads are headed towards robotaxis. Every major auto manufacturer is investing heavily in self-driving technology, and services are coming far sooner than you think. Waymo--which is owned by Google--will be the first to launch a paid service using autonomous vehicles. Arizona will be the first to get the service over the next couple months, followed by the Bay Area.

Right on the heels of Waymo, Daimler and Bosch are doing a pilot in San Jose during the second half of 2019. They will use a fully autonomous Mercedes Benz S Class to transport passengers between Downtown San Jose and the San Carlos/Stevens Creek corridor (Santana Row & Valley Fair). That is probably the route in San Jose in greatest need for a transit upgrade.

Unlike Waymo, who is already running some cars with no safety driver--they will have two safety drivers in each vehicle. You will be able to summon a car by using an app and presumably the service will be either very low cost or free during the trial period. Welcome to the future.

Source: Engadget, SVBJ

A^3 is developing flying cars in San Jose

It is starting to feel a lot like the future. Not only is every major auto manufacturer testing self-driving cars in the San Jose metro, but some companies are even starting to think beyond what we traditionally call a car. A^3, a division of Airbus, is working on an electric flying car called Vahana using very similar technology to the self-driving cars being tested today. It's equipped with 360 degree cameras, radar, lidar, and encrypted communications systems. The flying car also comes with redundant motors and a parachute should anything go wrong.

Vahana has 62 miles of range and transportation should cost somewhere around $2/mile, which is similar to today's taxi's (keep in mind self-driving cars will bring this cost down dramatically in just a few years).

It may seem like we are not going to see this type of technology anytime soon, but Dubai will already have an autonomous taxi system in place this year. Using flying cars to zip across the Bay Area and leave gridlock traffic behind might be realistic within a decade. The icing on the cake is that the technology is being developed right here in San Jose.

Source: SVBJ

Vahana - Future of Urban Air Mobility from Vahana on Vimeo.

Wednesday Wishlist: Rebuild the Electric Light Tower! (Updated)

Few people realize just how incredible and innovative our Electric Light Tower was. Built in 1881, it was one of the 50 tallest man-made structures on earth. It stood nearly as tall as the Fairmont Hotel over 120 years ago when San Jose had a population of 12,567. It was the brightest and most technologically advanced light tower to be built and required design innovations that had never been attempted before (much like what Silicon Valley does on a daily basis today).

There is also a very exciting documentary in the works right now entitled "The Light between Two Towers" which is being driven by Tom Wohlmut from WMS Media.  I had the privilege of attending a presentation about the movie and have to say it provides compelling evidence of a connection between the San Jose Tower and the Eiffel Tower. I was certainly surprised at what was uncovered by the end of the presentation and think most people will be as well when this film is released. We'll have a lot more information on that documentary as details are released (I'll post whatever I'm allowed to), but I can already say that the Electric Light Tower could very well be far more significant than originally thought.

While the idea of rebuilding the tower has been tossed around for decades, now is the time to build a landmark that truly represents San Jose's history and culture of innovation, diversity, entrepreneurship, and sharing ideas. The Electric Light Tower is the perfect physical manifestation of those ideas.

Now for some exciting news. There is a group of people with the right experience to actually make this a reality. What I need help from everyone reading this is ideas that can be incorporated into a modern version of an Electric light tower. Here are some quick thoughts to get things started:

• Lighting
• Multi-color LED Lighting (this is a must)
• Imaging the tower turning teal and showing the score during Sharks games, or blue for Quakes games.
• Lasers
• Can be used for optical effects. Due to our height restrictions, lasers can be a way to make the tower look taller than it actually is or can even be used for concerts and events near the tower.
• Holograms / projections
• Few things look as futuristic as a hologram. A holographic showcase near the base could be an amazing display of technology by local companies such as LG as well as potentially providing advertising opportunities to help fund the tower.

• Interactivity
• Much like the lights on The 88, a new Light Tower could be dynamic allow people to interact with it. This could mean changing color based on interacting with nearby objects or by using an app on your phone.
• Ability to communicate with sister cities via the Tower, perhaps using cameras and screens along the base.

• Holiday Ideas
• It can be used as a Christmas tree during December
• Red, White, & Blue during the 4th of July
• Rainbow during Pride San Jose

Please submit your ideas in the comments and I will gladly add them to the list above. Let's make this a reality!

San Jose's Environmental Innovation Center is Online

San Jose's long-delayed Environmental Innovation Center is now open at 1608 Las Plumas Avenue. This is a $31.4 million project that is owned by the city and leased out to several different organizations.

The nonprofit Prospect Silicon Valley has about 22,000 SQFT, which they are using to showcase innovations that lead to smart, clean, and connected cities. The technology comes from various incubators and they serve as a resource to connect companies, investors, and start-ups interested in green-tech.

Another 15,000 SQFT is taken up by Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which lets both builders and consumers buy donated construction materials. The proceeds go to supporting the mission and work of Habitat for Humanity.

It also houses a Household Hazardous Waste Facility, with will be the only permanent facility of its kind in San Jose. The only other two facilities for Household Hazardous Waste in the county are in Sunnyvale and San Martin.

Lastly, the building itself is a monument to sustainability. If you have a look at the last image below, you can get an idea of the green-tech features that are utilized throughout the project.

Source: SVBJ

Thin Film Establishing an Innovation Center in San Jose

Thin Film Electronics ASA in a Norwegian company that specializes in "printing" electronics on rolls of flexible material. This technology could become very disruptive, lowering the cost of producing electronic components dramatically and also opening up new markets. One cool product they are working on that ships this year is an electronic piece of plastic that includes integrated sensors with the ability to track temperature. Imagine having this slapped on a bag of fish or meats to track the full temperature history of that product, ensuring the food is not compromised by the time it gets to the grocery store.

They are entering the San Jose area by purchasing Kovio, a company that supports NFC (near field communications) on these tiny printed electronics. The tech makes it so that you can use a smartphone or other electronic device to easily communicate with these printed devices wirelessly. Kovio is located on Zanker Road, where it also has a manufacturing facility.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose had the First Locomotive in California

Check out this little tidbit from I HEART SAN JOSE:

According to the record in the USC Digital Library archive, this image is of either the first locomotive built in California or shipped TO California. The caption also says it served on the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. The image is dated 1867 and the second car says "Sacramento Valley Railroad" on it. The locomotive has "L. L. Robinson" written on it.

Link: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll65/id/11605

First Satellite US Patent and Trademark Office on the West Coast to be Located in San Jose!

I was really hoping that this would happen. In fact, I even emailed the person scouting for locations of the US Patent Office to suggest he look at Downtown San Jose. The US Patent and Trademark Office is officially making San Jose's City Hall their official home!

They will be taking 40,000 SQFT across two locations, the 14th floor and the second floor of the wing. That should be enough for 18 patent judges' offices, 60 patent examiners, public conference space, collaboration space, and support staff.

To attract the patent office Downtown, the city gave them a sweet deal. Two years of free rent, Operational Expenses for the next four years, and market-rate rent for the next six years. However, since this space was not being utilized, the opportunity cost of making this deal is close to nothing and the upside is huge.

Everyone in the West Coast that wants to file a patent would be coming to Downtown San Jose to do so. This also puts high demand on the immediate area for services to cater towards patent-filers, such as legal services, research firms, etc. Large companies start may even start considering Downtown as a location for their Intellectual Property teams. It definitely won't hurt our vacancy rates, that's for sure. There are not many office submarkets that can brag about having a US Patent Office within walking distance.

This is a well deserved win for the top patent-filing region in the country, if not the world!

Source: SVBJ, Hat-tip to Bob

Snow Park in San Jose?

It is not everyday that you hear about an organization proposing to turn a former landfill site into an all-year-round snow park... in San Jose. This would be the first such synthetic snow park in California and even though I am not a skier or snowboarder, it sounds awesome! Depending on how well the fundraising goes, the slope cold be anywhere between 200ft long and 100ft wide and 800ft long and 220ft wide. You have to check out the 60 second video below.

The project would cost between $1 and $18 million to build and include retail and restaurants on-site. The snow park would be constructed near 101 and Capital in the Evergreen area of San Jose.

To contribute to the project, just head over to the Bay Area Snow Park Kickstarter page over here.

Source: Kickstarter, San Jose Forum

St. Patty's Day Post: Irish Innovation Center Opens Downtown!

Last Sunday I was able to get into the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Irish Innovation Center located in Downtown San Jose. These offices will be a launching pad for Irish startup companies that want a presence in Silicon Valley. The event was a huge success with encouraging speeches from Brian Cowen (Prime Minister of Ireland), Chuck Reed, Sam Liccardo, Dr. Craig Barrett (former CEO of Intel), Tom McEnery, and Gordon Ciochon (Former Head of Global Operations at Symantec). We need to continue to keep the San Jose entrepreneurial community active and this is a giant step in the right direction. If we can center that entrepreneurial community in the middle of Downtown San Jose, then that's just icing on the cake.

I'll have some photos from the event for you soon, but for now I can offer you the shortest Sam Liccardo interview of all time courtesy of David Manzo: