Expert: What’s in store this year for the technology, media, and telecom industries in Houston

Guest column

Trends in the TMT industry were largely driven by the disruptions related to COVID-19, but disruption also brings innovation and opportunity. Photo via Getty Images

As the new year begins, the impact of the pandemic and what it means for the future remains top-of-mind. COVID-19 has been a catalyst that has fostered change in many industries, including technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT). It's accelerated several trends such as the adoption of cloud technology, telehealth, and remote healthcare, and the intelligent edge.

In Deloitte's 2021 TMT predictions report, we highlight how worldwide trends could affect stakeholders and consumers across the globe. Here in Houston, we see the below trends as especially relevant for the year ahead.

Cloud technology and AI’s significant role

The evolution of instrumentation, automation and connectivity have led us to the "intelligent edge" – a new stage where the combination of advanced wireless connectivity, compact processing power and artificial intelligence have converged. Cloud computing, data analytics and AI are physically closer in the intelligent edge so that data can be rapidly analyzed and acted upon.

In 2021, Deloitte predicts the global market for the intelligent edge will expand to 12 billion, continuing a compound annual growth rate of around 35 percent. With this in mind, this type of technology can play a significant role across the industrial sector in terms of efficiencies and emissions reductions; many Houston companies are already leading in this space.

Additionally, Deloitte predicts that revenue growth will remain at or above 2019 levels (greater than 30 percent) for 2021 through 2025, largely driven by companies that are moving to the cloud in an effort to save money, become more agile and drive innovation. The maturation of the cloud industry during the pandemic has demonstrated resilience and we expect companies to continue to rely more heavily on the cloud in 2021.

Athletes by the numbers

Houstonians are some of the country's biggest sports fans, and in this era of the hyper-quantified athlete, data collection in sports is more prominent than ever.

The digital transformation of sports is in full swing and with it comes the explosion of data. Data collection – through video analytics, wearables, and smart fabrics – and how it is used raises new questions about data privacy for athletes. Deloitte predicts that by the end of 2021, multiple professional sports leagues will establish new formal policies around the collection, use and commercialization of player data.

Additionally, as seen in recent years, the use of high tech will also force teams to be more competitive, which may push boundaries and challenge our ideas about traditional sports.

Our new virtual reality

Last year, the pandemic halted in-person teaching and learning for many local educators and students. In addition, some Houston-based companies had to rethink their approach to onboarding new employees and skills training.

Some companies relied on virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality solutions. These digital reality experiences helped simulate an in-person environment, which created a 50 percent spending increase on AR and VR headsets, software, and services. In 2021, sales for enterprise and educational use of wearable headsets for VR, AR, and MR could grow by 100 percent over 2019 levels.

COVID-19 also brought many industries online, including medicine. Deloitte projects the percentage of total virtual doctors' visits will rise to 5 percent globally in 2021. This means more potential business for the companies providing technologies to support virtual visits. We can also expect that the market for pure-play telehealth virtual visit solutions will reach $8 billion this year. And, we predict that more than $3 billion of medical-grade home health care technology will be sold in 2021, which represents an increase of almost 20 percent over 2019. Houston is already home to the world's largest medical center (Texas Medical Center) and we will likely see its footprint soar in 2021.

These trends in the TMT industry were largely driven by the disruptions related to COVID-19, but disruption also brings innovation and opportunity. As the world continues to wrestle in the grip of a global pandemic, there will likely be further implications that may affect TMT businesses and consumers worldwide and here in our hometown, Houston. To keep apprised of the latest trends, follow us on Twitter @DeloitteTMT.

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Nate Clark is the U.S. Oil, Gas & Chemicals Digital Practice Leader at Deloitte Consulting LLP. This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services.

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Houston ranks No. 2 for share of AI talent in professional services

AI surge

Houston’s professional and business services sector—think law, accounting, consulting, and engineering firms—grabs one of the industry’s biggest shares of AI talent.

A report from commercial real estate services giant CBRE ranks Houston No. 2 among the top 50 U.S. and Canadian tech markets for the concentration of AI talent in professional and business services.

Houston’s share of AI talent in professional and business services stands at 26 percent, the report shows. Washington, D.C., tops the list at 31 percent. At 25 percent, Dallas-Fort Worth claims the No. 3 spot.

CBRE based the AI ranking on data from the LinkedIn networking platform.

The company’s researchers tallied 11,709 AI-related tech jobs in Houston. Nationwide, data scientists lead AI-related job growth in the U.S., according to the report.

“AI software and hardware developers are currently the most sought-after tech talent by employers,” the report says.

Houston faces AI talent gap

DoubleTrack, a provider of AI and data consulting, reported in June that Houston faces an AI talent gap.

“The places where businesses say they will adopt AI over the next six months, well ahead of where they are today, are mostly the same places already short on talent: Miami, Houston, and Denver among the metros, South Dakota and South Carolina among the states,” DoubleTrack said.

This labor shortage comes amid Houston’s ascent as an AI hub. For instance, a factory being built here by AI chipmaker NVIDIA and electronics manufacturer Foxconn will produce AI supercomputers and infrastructure systems.

Houston’s place in the sphere of tech talent

Overall, Houston ranks No. 32 in the CBRE report among the top 50 U.S. and Canadian markets for tech talent. The San Francisco Bay Area claims the top spot, with Austin at No. 5 and DFW at No. 8.

CBRE relied on 13 metrics to rank tech talent markets, including concentration of tech talent, tech talent pipeline, and research-and-development investments.

Here are other Houston details from the report:

  • In 2025, Houston’s tech talent workforce numbered 104,080, up 7.3 percent over the past three years.
  • Houston’s average wage for tech talent within the tech industry was $120,216 in 2025, up 13.3 percent over the past three years.

New pilot program for air taxis, Project Nexus, takes flight in Texas

Project Nexus

By 2029, Texas skies could be buzzing with air taxis, much like they are with drones today.

To kick off the "Project Nexus" pilot program in Texas, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and Texas Department of Transportation officials attended an event September 10 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which serves as the launchpad for a statewide pilot program that could result in air taxis, self-piloted planes, and vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft permanently buzzing across the skies of Texas.

It was the first demonstration in Texas of next-generation aircraft under the pilot program; Texas is the sixth state to participate in the program.

Air taxi service on the radar
The federal government has teamed up with aviation companies BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation, as well as the Texas Department of Transportation, to develop regional air taxi service in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and eventually Houston.

Roger Venables, Fort Worth’s aviation director, said in January that he foresees regular air taxi service becoming a reality in the next five years.

On September 12, a Joby-made electric air taxi took a roundtrip flight between Fort Worth Alliance and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to test flight operations.

The mission was part of a five-day test involving Fort Worth Alliance and DFW Airport flights, and flights over the Fort Worth Stockyards, Toyota Motor North America’s Plano headquarters, and other sites.

A new facility at Fort Worth Alliance will be Joby’s long-term home for regional flight operations.

Building a 'framework' for electric aircraft
TxDOT said Project Nexus is aimed at creating “a scalable system” to connect urban areas, rural communities, and neighboring states as air mobility technology advances.

In a TxDOT release, Marc Williams, the agency’s executive director, said the pilot program will “build a framework for how electric aircraft could one day connect people, goods, and communities across the state.”

Three-phase project will test flight capabilities

Initial flights in the third-year pilot program won’t carry passengers, according to TxDOT. Instead, the flights will gather data, validate air travel routes, and help improve the safety of air mobility technology.

The first phase of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Project Nexus will feature piloted aircraft such as helicopters and fixed-wing planes. CultureMap previously reported Plano-based VertiPorts by Atlantic, which develops takeoff and landing sites for airplane-helicopter hybrids, would be part of Project Nexus.

The second phase will involve testing airborne medical and cargo logistics. This includes transporting critical medical supplies or donor organs between rural and urban hospitals in the Austin and San Antonio areas.

In the third and final phase, passengers will fly aboard air taxis across the Texas Triangle. Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio anchor the triangle.

“In Texas, we don’t wait for the future to arrive, we build it,” Cruz said in the TxDOT release. “The Lone Star State is pushing the boundaries by testing the next generation of aircraft through Project Nexus.”

“These technologies will connect communities, expand access to jobs and services, and strengthen supply chains,” the senator added. “What starts in Texas will help shape the future of aviation throughout the entire country.”

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston-area NASA contractor plans Nasdaq IPO

going public

Webster-based NASA contractor Rothe Development Inc. has filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to go public.

Rothe, a minority- and woman-owned business, hasn’t yet identified how many shares it will sell and how much money its IPO might raise. Rothe plans to offer Class B common stock on the Nasdaq exchange.

CEO Karen Wheeler-Hall owns all of the Class A shares and would retain majority control after the IPO, according to the SEC filing. The company plans to use $2.4 million of the IPO proceeds so Wheeler-Hall can pay off a loan from the seller for her 2021 acquisition of Rothe.

From last December to this May, the company raised about $2.1 million in a pre-IPO private placement at $1 per share, the SEC filing shows.

Rothe runs NASA training lab in Houston

Founded in 1967, Rothe supplies engineering, technology, operations and technical services to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies, commercial space operators, and regulated industries.

Rothe is likely best known for operating NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. The lab trains astronauts for spacewalks and simulates space missions. It supports NASA’s International Space Station and Artemis programs.

Company sees room for growth

In the SEC filing, Rothe said it operates in several expanding markets driven by rising investments, including space exploration, national security, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.

“We believe these market trends create significant opportunities for continued growth across both government and commercial sectors,” the company said.

Rothe generated nearly $126.4 million in revenue last year, up from $117.3 million the previous year. However, the company swung to a $700,000 operating loss in 2025 versus $1.8 million in operating income in 2024.

At the end of 2025, Rothe’s workforce comprised 385 employees and 25 subcontractors. The company also works in the cybersecurity, computer engineering, software development, multimedia and communication, and commercial calibration sectors, according to its website.

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