Editor's Note
Hatch — SoCal Weekly Pulse
Editor's Note
AI in Southern California is moving well beyond software.
This week, Irvine saw expansion across energy infrastructure, autonomous defense, advertising technology, and satellite manufacturing — while Los Angeles and San Diego continue to build momentum around AI, robotics, and defense.
The common thread? The next wave of AI needs physical infrastructure.
Here are this week's stories worth knowing.
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⚡ Irvine is building the infrastructure behind physical AI
The AI boom increasingly depends on something much less glamorous than models: power, hardware, manufacturing, and infrastructure.
Irvine-based Tellus Power announced a new 30,000-square-foot facility that brings its U.S. engineering, manufacturing, and commercial operations under one roof. The company builds bi-directional energy systems for EV charging, battery storage, and microgrids — infrastructure increasingly relevant as AI data centers and other high-power technologies put new demands on the grid.
The bigger signal for SoCal is clear: AI infrastructure is becoming a startup category of its own.
Major tech companies investing billions in quantum infrastructure
First commercial quantum computers now available for enterprise rental
Potential to solve complex problems in minutes that would take classical computers thousands of years - article here
Startup Spotlight
Autonomous tech is scaling in Irvine
DZYNE Technologies — Irvine. Now part of Ondas, DZYNE received a $6M+ Air Force Research Laboratory contract to advance its Long-Range Grasshopper autonomous aerial delivery system, designed for autonomous logistics in contested and austere environments — another example of AI moving from software into real-world machines. DZYNE's Irvine operations include a large engineering and manufacturing footprint.
Tellus Power — Irvine. Opened a new 30,000-square-foot U.S. facility focused on engineering, manufacturing, and commercial operations for next-generation energy infrastructure.
Viant Technology — Irvine. Reported $104.3M in Q2 revenue, up 34% year over year, as its AI-powered advertising platform continues to scale — positioning AI not simply as an advertising tool, but as the engine behind increasingly autonomous campaign execution.
ICEYE — Irvine. The satellite company is expanding its Irvine footprint and plans to deepen U.S. satellite manufacturing capabilities, reinforcing Orange County's position at the intersection of space, defense, sensing, and AI-enabled intelligence.
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Funding Roundup
The SoCal physical-AI stack is getting deeper:
Energy: Tellus Power's new Irvine facility puts engineering, manufacturing, and commercial operations together as demand grows for infrastructure capable of supporting increasingly power-hungry technologies.
Space: ICEYE continues expanding its Irvine presence, describing Orange County as central to its U.S. growth and manufacturing strategy.
AI software: Irvine's Viant continues pushing AI deeper into advertising infrastructure, while local enterprise-AI company Veritone remains one of the more closely watched names in the region.
Did You Know? AI is becoming an infrastructure story.
The first AI wave was dominated by models, copilots, and applications. The next wave may be defined by what sits underneath them:
power → chips → sensors → robots → satellites → autonomous systems → real-world operations
Southern California has unusual strength across almost every layer of that stack. Orange County has semiconductors, robotics, aerospace, defense, medtech, and energy infrastructure. Los Angeles brings media, entertainment, AI, and defense. San Diego adds biotech, robotics, defense, and deep technical talent.
That combination could become one of SoCal's biggest competitive advantages over the next decade.
One question to watch: Who builds the infrastructure that lets AI leave the screen and enter the physical world?
SoCal may be one of the places to find the answer.
Till next time,
SoCal Weekly Pulse