Amazon plans to hire 300 workers at new San Diego tech hub

Amazon said Wednesday that it plans to create 300 technology jobs in San Diego as part of its expansion in the region.

The company expects to hire workers in software development, machine learning, cloud computing, fraud prevention and digital entertainment.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant, which recently eclipsed $1 trillion in market value, already employs about 200 tech workers in San Diego who develop software for AmazonFresh, PrimeNow, Amazon Web Services, supply chain management and digital security.

The San Diego team played a role in creating the technology backbone for the launch of Whole Foods pick-up and delivery. Amazon Game Studios also has a team in San Diego working on a new online multi-player game.

Last year, Amazon leased 85,000 square feet in Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ revamped Campus Pointe office park in University City – expanding its beachhead in San Diego.

“UC San Diego’s computer science program is ranked No. 11^th in the world,” said Nate Wiger, general manager of Amazon’s San Diego Tech Hub. “There’s a lower cost of living here than many cities in California.”

Though employees began moving in this spring, the official grand opening ceremony for the new office is scheduled on Thursday. The center is one of 17 satellite tech hubs that Amazon operates in North America outside of Seattle to invent products and services. Amazon also has tech hubs in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

“This new facility is an investment in San Diego’s growing innovation economy, our talented workforce and the relationship we have with one of the world’s leading companies,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer in a statement.

While San Diego is known for biotechnology, wireless semiconductors and defense technology firms, it has an under-the-radar software talent pool, said Mark Cafferty, head of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.

“I think we are graduating more software people from our universities, said Cafferty. “Sometimes we lose these folks, who go elsewhere because the region does not have 10 or 15 big software companies that you would recognize. But every time we can land somebody with pretty good-sized operations, it just adds to the confidence of people wanting to stay in San Diego.”

Walmart Labs, the retail giant’s technology arm, recently tripled the size of its San Diego office, which it aims to grow to about 70 workers. Teradata, a publicly traded data storage firm, is moving its headquarters from Dayton, Ohio, to San Diego in part to boost its ability to recruit data analytics engineers.

Amazon’s decision to open a San Diego office was driven by Wiger, a long-time resident and UC San Diego graduate who was commuting to Amazon’s Irvine campus as a senior manager for Amazon Web Services.

About two years ago, his supervisor suggested he write a proposal – no more than six pages – on the business benefits of opening a San Diego office.

These “six-pagers” are part of Amazon’s lore. Business ventures ranging from PrimeNow to Web Services began as concise six-page proposals, according to the company.

“People who weren’t as familiar with San Diego were a little skeptical at first,” said Wiger. “The more data I pulled, the more obvious it was that San Diego was being overlooked.”

Since 2011, Amazon said it has created more than 39,000 jobs in California and has invested $19 billion in the state, including infrastructure and wages to employees.

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