Innovation districts are living labs for technology testing, homes to smart city initiatives, hotbeds of collaboration and knowledge exchange for young companies testing robotic, AI and advanced engineering applications. They are also increasingly places offering enhanced liveability and services for discerning talent and local communities. These factors make digital infrastructure central to their vision, design and operation. The challenge for innovation districts is to develop a baseline digital infrastructure that can flex and expand around both user needs and changes in requirement, based on shifting and accelerating technology trends. Crucially though, this must be linked to identity and purpose, as well as making economic and commercial sense. A decision to focus, for example, on advanced manufacturing heightens the need to plan digital infrastructure around low-latency59 applications requiring real- time processing capabilities and access to high computational requirements, such as augmented and virtual reality and autonomous vehicles and robotics. To make sense of digital technologies and the way in which they relate to other components of the ecosystem, as well as to the physical environment, digital infrastructure can be broken down into three main components (see Figure 3): –Foundations. –Data and digital services. –Demonstration.4.1 Delivering on the principles: three components of digital infrastructureDigital is no longer optional. The increasing ubiquity of digital services fundamentally changes how we navigate and experience places, how we collaborate and how we participate in the economy. Digital infrastructure is a critical element for innovation districts if they are to spearhead the breakthroughs that shape tomorrow. Digital innovation is happening at pace. Same-day delivery is growing at a staggering 36% annually.56 At industry level, the global delivery robotics market is set to increase from $500 million to nearly $5 billion by 2032,57 while spending on edge computing is expected to reach $378 billion by 2028.58 Digital innovation is also reflected in the job market, where the tech sector is creating jobs at six times the rate of the global economy. These are not distant projections – they are rapidly emerging market realities that are set to increase. Innovation districts must capitalize on these transformations as they seek to attract businesses and talent that require the digital connectivity, data and services necessary to accelerate their innovation potential. Digital infrastructure is no longer a supporting amenity, but a critical enabler of entrepreneurship and technology testing. Whether supporting advanced manufacturing, providing mobility testbeds or simply offering digital platforms that help founders and entrepreneurs meet, districts must plan their digital foundations with the same rigour they apply to physical planning. We must also recognize that the value of digital infrastructure and services ultimately depends on how people use them. A user-centred, long-term approach matters more than chasing the latest tech trends in the short-term. Katie Adnams Associate Director, Smart Places and Digital Infrastructure, Jacobs Innovation Ecosystems: A Toolkit of Principles and Best Practice 34

Innovation Ecosystems 2025