According to a recent report by JLL, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is emerging as a hotbed for job opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). With nearly 1,800 job openings in late August, the region ranks second in the country for AI-related job openings, just behind the San Francisco Bay Area.
The demand for AI skills in the D.C. region is primarily driven by two major industries: defense and biotechnology. The defense industry serves northern Virginia, while suburban Maryland is a hub for biotechnology companies. Companies such as Leidos, Boeing, and AstraZeneca are actively seeking AI talent to meet their growing needs.
So what types of AI jobs are these companies looking to fill? Data scientists make up a significant portion of the job openings in this field. Full-stack engineers and Scrum Masters are also gaining traction in these positions. If you’re not familiar with it, a Scrum Master is essentially a facilitator of a development team in AI projects. They help teams communicate and stay organized to make changes quickly.
These AI jobs offer attractive salaries that surpass the median salary for all IT-related jobs in the D.C. region. For example, according to Indeed.com, a Scrum Master can earn anywhere between $137,000 to $232,000 annually.
The growth of AI in the region is expected to continue as government funding for defense and biotechnology fuels further expansion. This will lead to an increased demand for computing power and data centers in Northern Virginia – an area known for having one of the highest concentrations of data centers globally.
CBRE recently reported that Northern Virginia’s data center vacancy rate hit a record low of 0.94% in early 2023 due to high demand. To accommodate this need, data center developers are expanding beyond the core areas into outlying counties like Fauquier, Culpeper, and Stafford counties.
Allegedly, the rise of AI in the D.C. region presents significant job opportunities and real estate demands. As the field continues to grow, it is expected that more companies will invest in AI talent and infrastructure.
According to JLL, this is just the beginning of a gold rush in the AI sector for the D.C. region. If you are interested in pursuing a career in artificial intelligence or related fields, now is an excellent time to explore opportunities in this rapidly expanding industry.
Source: (According to J.L.L.)(https://wtop.com/business-finance/2023/09/dc-leads-for-artificial-intelligence-job-openings-including-scrum-masters/)
