S.C.’s tech investments are fueling innovation from startups to online gaming

South Carolina is a big innovator and leader in technology. Since rapid growth in the early 2000s, the technology sector within the state has constantly boosted the economy and its expansion far beyond national averages.

The state constantly receives grants, funding and runs innovative schemes that put it as a leader in technology innovation. Below, we’ll explore some of the more recent investments and innovations far ahead of the rest of the US.

S.C.’s tech sector has boosted economic expansion beyond national averages.

South Carolina is miles ahead of the rest of the U.S. There was a massive boom within the technology sector in the early 2000s that has never stopped. Some of the biggest tech companies within the state include:

Textron Systems
Cerner Corporation
Integrity Express Logistics
Cimarron Software

These companies are fueling innovation and the economy. Between 2010 and 2020 alone, employment in the tech industry increased by a massive 32.9% compared to the national U.S. average of 15.6%. The result is a $17.9 billion average industry value, with a total economic output of $51.7 billion.

On average, there are between 143,000 and 180,800 tech jobs in South Carolina, with programs at the University of South Carolina creating fully sponsored master’s degree programs focused on emerging technology and positive societal outcomes. The result is highly-skilled and technically trained individuals joining the innovation charge that South Carolina is leading.

Google investing $9 billion in South Carolina data centers

One of the latest investments that will undoubtedly lead to innovations within South Carolina’s tech industry is the massive $9 billion grant from Google.

The new investment will run through to 2027. The money will go towards expanding the Berkeley County data center campus and supporting the development of two new data centers in Dorchester County.

The idea is for the state to become a critical hub for American infrastructure. A lot of the focus of the investment is on the current cloud and artificial intelligence, technology that is powering numerous companies within the state, from startups to online gaming.

Let’s look deeper at online gaming as a key example. For years, browser-based gaming has resisted the dominance of console and natively installed PC games, continuing to thrive and be a keenly felt cornerstone of the gaming industry. Online casinos have been an essential part of that. For gamers to be able to load up a website on both desktop and mobile and, for instance, pick an online slot casino from here that they know will run as well on both devices, regardless of their device’s hardware power, has given the online casino industry consistency of product and service. This is exactly what console and gaming platforms are now after: consistency, accessibility, and the ability to scale up their product entirely dependent on software and servers.

Most platforms are making the most of cloud-based servers already, but there is room for growth.

As an additional grant, Google will give a Google.org grant to the Electrical Training Alliance (etA) that will help them integrate AI tools into the current program. As a result, 160 apprentices will be prepared for careers within South Carolina’s tech and energy industries.

Google is actively creating new jobs within the state that will undoubtedly boost the digital economy.

The South Carolina Research Authority

The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a crucial enabler of tech innovations.

It funds, incubates and connects technology startups to the rest of the industry. Just recently at the beginning of October 2025, the SCRA announced that GrAIded and SimXity AERO joined as South Carolina Research Authority Member Companies. Alita Technologies, Blotting Innovations, Lucie Medical, and Tiersphere also received new grants for innovation.

It would be impossible to support the state’s innovation economy without the SCRA. They’re constantly funneling money into development companies by giving resources to technology-based startups, academia, and industry. They mainly work through public and nonprofit corporations.

Investments funding emerging gaming companies

South Carolina is one of the leaders in online gaming innovation through gaming startups.

For example, Fiber Gaming Network is a South Carolina-based gaming startup partnering with fiber broadband providers to deliver free access to online gaming, tournaments, and eSports communities.

PTW, a global game services and quality assurance firm, also developed a 30,000-square-foot facility in Charleston that opened at the end of 2024, which should create more than 250 job roles for game testing and quality assurance, something that’s big in online gaming sectors such as iGaming.

Other South Carolina gaming-related startups include:

Televerse
Skillsgapp
Epigramland
Notey Inc
Spirit Innovations LLC

They’re either gaming or digital-media related startups that will soon become leaders of innovation within the state.

How S.C. tech investments compare to the rest of the U.S.

South Carolina’s tech investments are so much more than the rest of the U.S. And now, with tech giants like Google investing billions into data infrastructure and new apprenticeships, it can only grow more. Even before that, since 2007, Google had already invested $4.5 billion in South Carolina to help develop its tech economy into what it is today.

There are more jobs, startup opportunities, apprenticeship academies and advanced college degrees than in most other states in the U.S.

Some of the biggest tech sectors we expect to see grow in revenue and job role offerings within South Carolina include:

Artificial intelligence
Cloud computing
Data center control and management
Aerospace
IT services and custom software services
Telecommunications

South Carolina is the place to be if you’re a startup wanting access to funding and innovation that no other state can provide. Year after year, it constantly outshines the rest of the U.S. as the leader in tech innovation and startup-enabling funding schemes. By the end of Q4 2025, and with the new grants from Google, we expect South Carolina to have a record-breaking year for boosting its tech economy.