Big ideas about the future of power, water, and innovation aren’t just happening in Arizona—they’re happening right here in Maricopa. As part of Arizona Tech Week, the City of Maricopa is stepping onto the statewide stage to help lead conversations that will shape how communities grow and thrive in the years ahead.
Arizona Tech Week is a weeklong series of events hosted by venture capital firms, startups, and industry leaders, designed to bring together the tech ecosystem and spark conversations around entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, and the future of infrastructure.
As part of that effort, Maricopa hosted a featured session Monday centered on one of the most critical challenges facing modern growth: power. With demand surging from data centers, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and supercomputing, a panel of experts from Arizona’s leading electric providers—including Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, and Electrical District No. 3—came together to tackle pressing questions.
The discussion explored whether there is enough power to meet accelerating demand, how utilities prioritize service requests, what infrastructure is required to support large-scale energy users, and how Arizona is preparing to power an increasingly electrified future.
“This is exactly the kind of conversation that needs to be happening as communities like Maricopa continue to grow,” says Josh Bowman, with Maricopa’s Office of Economic Opportunity. “Access to reliable, scalable power is no longer a background issue; it’s a deciding factor for companies looking to invest, expand, and innovate.”
AZ Tech Week 2026 – ED3 Presenting in council chambers
The conversation continues in Maricopa tomorrow with a second AZ Tech Week session focused on water; another essential resource shaping the state’s growth. While Arizona is often described as water-challenged, it is simultaneously experiencing rapid population and job expansion.
Using Maricopa as a real-world example, this session will highlight how strategic partnerships and innovation are making sustainable growth possible. Attendees will learn how the City’s collaboration with Global Water Resources has helped position Maricopa as a forward-thinking community, that is balancing conservation with continued development. The session will also include an opportunity to tour the city’s water reclamation facilities and see these systems in action.
From energy to water, these discussions highlight the real-world challenges and solutions shaping communities across Arizona and demonstrate how Maricopa is contributing to that progress.
For more information about Arizona Tech Week and a full list of events, visit arizonatechweek.com.
