July 15, 2024 — The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) today announced the award of $27 million to support data system development and interoperability across California’s five containerized ports, the first-ever state-level funding in the country focused on improving data functionality across a statewide network of ports.
As the nation’s premier gateway for international trade, California and its ports are essential to the smooth functioning of the global economy. The state’s containerized ports, which include the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, San Diego, and Hueneme, handle a staggering 40% of all U.S. containerized imports, supporting millions of jobs and generating billions in economic activity.
“California’s ports are critical to the stability of our national and global supply chains, as well as the health of our worldwide economy,” said GO-Biz Director and Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom, Dee Dee Myers. “These historic, first-of-their-kind awards will allow us to use data to improve the functionality of our supply chain, and we look forward to working with our ports to further the momentum that these projects will generate across the state.”
The awards will fund ten innovative projects across the five ports that address key challenges in port operations and foster long-term statewide freight resilience. These projects encompass a wide range of solutions including optimization of cargo-routing, deployment of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, implementation of climate resiliency and emissions reductions measures, adoption of trucking appointment systems, and the development of new data standards for cargo.
The funds follow the signing of a first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last spring that formed the California Port Data Partnership between the five ports. Both the MOU and the awards are expected to yield significant economic, environmental, and transportation benefits for the State.
What the Ports Are Saying
“This unprecedented level of funding is crucial for California’s containerized ports as it will enhance the sharing of supply chain data to improve information flow. With the state’s investment, the Port of Hueneme will support collaborative efforts to bridge data gaps in the regional, state, and national supply chain. The funding will also accelerate the Port’s data strategy enhancing commercial, operational, and financial data sharing systems. We appreciate the State’s commitment to resiliency and its significant investment in goods movement.” – Port of Hueneme CEO & Port Director Kristin Decas