News | 2 min read
Greater Richmond ranks as a national AI Tech Talent Leader
July 1, 2026
RICHMOND, Va. (June 30, 2026) – Business Facilities magazine, a leading resource for site selection and economic development, recognized Greater Richmond, Virginia, in its 2026 Annual Rankings Report as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tech Talent Leader. The Richmond Region was included in the top 10 Tech Talent Leaders with a tech labor pool of less than 50,000 along with peer cities across the nation.
“The Richmond Region has employers seeking and attracting tech talent from around the world and they’re seeing significant growth,” said Jennifer Wakefield, GRP President + CEO. “One of the biggest AI initiatives in the region, AI Ready RVA, is actively building the region’s workforce and is on a mission to make Richmond the most AI-ready region in the world.”
The publication’s ranking showcases the availability of a tech-centric workforce in metropolitan areas across the U.S and Canada. In this category, size and growth of the talent pool are primary factors for the three-tier ranking, divided by size of labor pool.
In addition, Greater Richmond delivers pillars corporate executives now demand:
- Infrastructure: Four major undersea fiber cables (Dunant, MAREA, BRUSA and SAEx) converge in the region, providing the lowest-latency connectivity on the East Coast.
- Energy: A diverse energy mix, nuclear, gas and solar, plus the world’s first commercial fusion power plant is now zoning approved in Chesterfield County and on track for the early 2030s.
- Proven ecosystem: Meta ($1b+), QTS, Iron Mountain ($1b campus), Tract, Google ($9b throughout Virginia) and others.
Comprised of state, metro and global rankings, the full 22nd Annual Rankings Report will appear in the July/August 2026 issue of Business Facilities.
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About GRP
The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (GRP) is the lead regional economic development organization for the City of Richmond and counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico in Virginia. GRP attracts new companies to the region by providing in-depth market data, marketing the region globally and generating quality economic opportunities. For more information, visit www.grpva.com.
