Sector Data
- 4,133 IT companies—including most industry leaders—operate in the Bay Area and San Francisco.
- The region saw over $1.6 billion invested in IT and digital media in the first quarter of 2008.
- It houses world-class research institutions and universities, including Stanford and UC Berkeley, offering abundant collaboration, recruitment and licensing opportunities.
- Nearly 80% of households are wired to the internet.
- IT and software are major components to the knowledge sector of San Francisco's economy.
- San Francisco rates among the world's top 10 cities for high-speed connections.
- The Institute for Next Generation Internet was founded in 2005 at San Francisco State University. Among its goals is to develop commercial applications for high-speed fiber networks that could run up to 600 times faster than standard broadband.
- The Institute at SFSU takes an open-access approach to technological progress—fostering broader international development.
- Largest share of high-tech exports in the US
- 25% of San Francisco office space leased in 2006 went to technology companies, a significant increase from 2004's 14%.
- Largest aggregation of research universities and federal research institutions in the US
- Area Universities produce more Ph.D. scientists & engineers than any other area in US.