San Diego’s Cyber Economy

A unique convergence of assets that exists nowhere else
The San Diego region is ideally positioned to capitalize on the ever-growing global demand for cybersecurity products and services.

A Vibrant Innovation Economy
San Diego’s entrepreneurial environment has fostered startups to multinational companies in cybersecurity, software development, information technology, communications and defense. The ecosystem includes incubators, financiers, experienced service providers and non-profits that support more than 870 firms focused exclusively on cybersecurity. In addition, the proximity of research and development facilities to Northern Mexico’s manufacturing hubs allows for the development of quick-to-market products. Industry leaders, Qualcomm, ESET, FICO and Teradata are proud to call San Diego home.

Education and Research
San Diego’s universities and colleges annually graduate 22,270 students across 118 programs in cybersecurity and related fields. These institutions also support cutting-edge research through resources like the Super Computing Center at UC San Diego. San Diego’s universities annually receive more than $1 billion in philanthropic and federal funding for research and development projects.

Department of Defense Presence
San Diego is home to the Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR). NAVWAR directly employs the largest number of cybersecurity jobs in San Diego (>3,700) and its presence is a major talent attraction and economic driver. NAVWAR’s total budget for 2020 was $9.4 billion, of which $7.1 billion was set aside for private industry contracts, including $1.6 billion for the San Diego region.

Combined
By drawing on all these resources and bringing them together in a focused, unified effort, CCOE is here to ensure that San Diego takes full advantage of the economic opportunity before us.

Read the Report:
CCOE & San Diego Regional EDC’s Securing the Future: AI and San Diego’s Cyber Industry Study, June 2021