North Carolina is a major center for telecommunications, networking and software development. From highly specialized pools of talent to a continually evolving infrastructure, we work to ensure that companies here have what they need to succeed. Our robust fiber-optic network provides high-speed network services to universities, colleges and non-profit institutions all across the state. In fact, Raleigh and Charlotte were named two of the top 20 “Most Wired Cities” by Forbes magazine in 2008. With more than 100,000 highly skilled workers employed in over 3,000 firms, the information and communications technology industry is Thriving in North Carolina.

Established, Innovative and Growing Center for the Information and Communications Technology Industry.

IBM has its largest IT presence in the world in North Carolina. Cisco's second-largest campus is in Research Triangle Park, and Microsoft's second-largest domestic presence is in Charlotte. Other major players that have been drawn by North Carolina’s knowledge workers are:

• Cree
• Dell
• Google
• Lenovo
• Red Hat
• RFMD
• SAS

Specialized resources provide an atmosphere for innovation, including:

• Nine research universities with three excellent engineering schools.
• The North Carolina Technology Association dedicated to growing and strengthening the IT industry.
• The Charlotte Research Institute located on the UNC-Charlotte Campus.
• The North Carolina Council for Entrepreneurial Development founded to stimulate the creation and growth of high impact companies.

For more information, download the North Carolina Information and Communications Technology Industry Sector Brochure (PDF). For specific information on Data Centers, download the North Carolina Data Center Brochure (PDF).