Tesla's Global Engineering And AI Headquarters Opens In Palo Alto

By Ria Roebuck Joseph | Center Square contributor, The Center Square California

February 26, 2023

(The Center Square) - Governor Gavi Newsom joined Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk in opening Tesla’s Global engineering and AI headquarters in Palo Alto. The headquarters sits on a location formerly used by Hewlett-Packard.

Newsom revealed that he invested approximately $100,000 in Tesla back in 2007. Now Tesla's engineering and artificial intelligence operations will be headquartered in the 4th largest economy in the world and home to America’s leading zero emissions market accounting for 40% of all ZEVs sold.

Newsom stated that policy, direction, and the regulatory framework in the state has pushed the envelope on electric car manufacturing. There are 55 smaller electronic vehicle manufacturers based in the Golden State, but Tesla's corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas.

“The future happens in California first. We’re changing the world through our historic investments, our conveyor belt for talent, and partnerships with companies like Tesla. The state continues to be the world’s innovation hub, charging the electric vehicle revolution, and dominating the industry in every category – all while keeping the same goal in mind: ensuring a cleaner, greener and healthier place to live for future generations,” Newsom said.

Tesla has had the support of California since 2009 to help create the zero emissions Vehicle (ZEV) market. Now Tesla’s new global engineering and AI headquarters developing the technology of the future will be based in California.

California has a ready market for electric vehicles with almost 1.4 million ZEVs sold as of Dec. 2022.

The state has the climate for success in ZEV manufacturing. It has a large diverse workforce and more scientists, engineers, researchers and Nobel Prize winners than anywhere else in the country. More than half of all new private billion-dollar companies are based in California, and the state has attracted more than 51% of all venture capital investments in the US since 2000.

"It's not surprising to me, but I don't take it for granted, that the world's headquarters for Engineering, for AI, for pushing out the boundaries is here,” Newsom stated.

Tesla began 20 years ago in San Carlos, the future success of the company at that time was seen as a long-shot and highly risky.

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.