By:Melanie Mosley, Guest Opinion
Tennessee is experiencing unrivaled economic growth. In 2024, our state ranked 8th in the country for our growth rate. Much of this growth has been driven by rapidly expanding populations in Tennessee’s leading cities, Nashville and Memphis. The growth is no mystery. Nashville has spent decades crafting itself as an attractive cultural hub for music and a mecca for healthcare. Now, Memphis is making similar moves: shaping itself into a nationally recognized hub for technological innovation.
Memphis is already home to a quickly expanding tech scene. That burgeoning tech contributed $2.5 billion to the city’s economy in 2024 and supported thousands of jobs. Our city’s leaders have a vision to expand that investment even further. That vision — the “Digital Delta” — promises innovation, opportunity, and growth for all Memphians.
If city leaders are truly committed to building a high-tech Memphis, we need to meet the moment and embrace AI. AI has taken the world by storm. It has helped more accurately diagnose cancer, enabled dairy farmers to improve the health of their herds, given supermarkets insights to cut food waste, and so much more.
AI is an immensely powerful tool, and if leading AI companies like xAI are looking to put down roots, Memphis should be the first city to answer the call. xAI is mentioned in the same breath as Google, OpenAI and Microsoft — a rockstar company that is making waves internationally.
The city has set ambitious goals to add 2,000 advanced industry companies and 50,000 high-quality jobs to the local economy by 2030. By welcoming xAI as our neighbor, we welcome in a new wave of jobs for our ever-growing talent pool. With the greater Memphis area home to 115 colleges, universities, and technical training programs — such as the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology — our community is poised to cultivate the technology and business leaders of tomorrow.
Establishing a home for a tech company here creates a domino effect of investment. Following xAI’s decision to build its supercomputer in Memphis last year, the University of Memphis announced a $1 million investment to boost its academic and research capabilities in artificial intelligence. Tecora Murray, executive director of the Greater Memphis Economic Research Group, noted that by having a mega-player like xAI invest in tech infrastructure in the city, it has made Memphis “more marketable.”
As a business owner myself, I want to see this city thrive. I want to see the best and the boldest companies, especially in technology and manufacturing, coming to Memphis. And if one leader in tech settles in Memphis, it signals to others that they are welcome here, too. xAI could bring with it other leaders like Nividia and Dell.
Our town should be a place where innovation and technological advancement thrive. Instead of throwing out unnecessary barriers, we must embrace new partners like xAI, who can bring investment, job opportunities ,and growth.
Melanie L. Mosley is a Memphis business owner, serving as CEO and owner of Mosley Tax & Accounting Service for almost 30 years.
