Hillsborough economic development team highlights semiconductors, bioscience, data centers and incentives in Hillsborough 101 briefing

HILLSBOROUGH, Ore. — City economic development staff and outside presenters on March 18 briefed the Hillsborough City Council on local industry concentrations, workforce initiatives and incentive programs the city uses to recruit and retain firms.

The session, billed as “Hillsborough 101 — Economic Development,” listed four target industry clusters: computer electronics (including semiconductors), biosciences and medical devices, advanced manufacturing, and software and information technology. Jim Riley, a presenter for the session, said Hillsborough’s technical workforce is unusually concentrated: “Hillsborough has almost 28 times the national average of semi processing technicians,” he said, adding the city “is well above the national average” for total tech job concentration.

The city and its partners also highlighted data-center infrastructure. Riley noted Hillsborough has multiple categories of data centers and “about 15” data-center companies in the city, plus fiber “daylighting” where undersea cables connect onshore. Val Okada, who identified herself as being with the economic development department, told councilors that cable daylighting and a robust local fiber ring help reduce latency and are a…