This Month's Latest Tech News in Portland, OR - Wednesday April 30th 2025 Edition

Portland's tech momentum in 2025 is unmistakable, as the region pioneers ethical AI, fosters robust investment, and unites academia, industry, and government to shape its digital future.

The University of Portland is launching a campus-wide Ethical AI Initiative that integrates AI literacy into six diverse courses, reflecting local commitment to both technology and ethical leadership.

Statewide, Oregon lawmakers are driving comprehensive efforts through HB 3592, creating an AI hub that leverages university partnerships, funding for a record-breaking academic supercomputer, and the ultra-high-speed Link Oregon network for collaborative research - vital steps highlighted in the state's recent AI hub development agenda.

Meanwhile, Portland's startup scene celebrated three major VC funding rounds this April - $80 million for Hydrolix, $6 million for Sturdy.ai, and a seed round for Prophetic - bolstered by events like Portland Startup Week and AI-focused conferences, as reported by Silicon Florist.

This synergy of education, government investment, and entrepreneurial energy is positioning Portland as a model for responsible, inclusive, and innovative tech growth in the Pacific Northwest.

Intel's Hillsboro campus has taken center stage in semiconductor innovation with the world's first installation of ASML's High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography system, a milestone tool weighing 165 tons that dramatically advances chip manufacturing precision and density.

Industry sources report that Intel is not just on schedule, but accelerating adoption; at least 30,000 wafers have already been processed using High NA EUV in the advanced 18A process node - potentially well ahead of TSMC's projected 2027 deployment for comparable technology.

According to local analysis from The Hillsboro Herald on Intel's semiconductor innovation, Microsoft is rumored to be Intel's lead customer for these next-generation AI chips, a partnership expected to reshape the competitive landscape and validate Intel's turnaround strategy under CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Intel's official release on new chip manufacturing technology emphasize the dual breakthrough of combining High NA EUV and backside power delivery, promising 10–20% reductions in power use and up to 15% performance gains.

For a quick snapshot of how Intel's 18A node compares with TSMC's rival N2 technology, see the table below.

Feature	Intel 18A	TSMC N2
Lithography	High NA EUV (Single Pass)	Low NA EUV (Multi-Patterning)
Backside Power Delivery	Yes (Integrated)	No (Initial release)
Power/Performance Gains	10-20% lower power, 10-15% faster	Mature process, strong ecosystem
Production Timeline	2025 (early risk/volume)	2025-2028 (no High NA initially)

As Intel's foundry ambitions secure new ground in Oregon, the company's rapid technology leaps - highlighted by strategic Microsoft collaboration - signal a transformative season for both Portland's tech scene and U.S. semiconductor leadership.

“As Bob Noyce once said, ‘Don't be encumbered by history; just go out and do something wonderful.'”

For additional context on Intel's manufacturing advancements and the broader impact of High NA EUV, see Manufacturing Today's in-depth coverage of the new manufacturing process.

Oregon has launched a landmark $10 million artificial intelligence (AI) workforce initiative in partnership with Nvidia, aiming to establish the state as a frontrunner in tech education and industry readiness.

Funded by the Oregon CHIPS Act, this investment will support the new “AI Ambassador Program,” which places AI faculty and technical experts across Oregon's colleges and universities to equip students with cutting-edge skills for the AI-driven economy.

As Governor Tina Kotek stated,

“Oregon will not only prepare our workers, businesses, and public service professionals for a prosperous future, we will lead the way.”

The collaboration also ensures access to Nvidia's industry-leading technologies and mentorship, fostering entrepreneurship and responsible AI adoption within government and the private sector.

Nvidia's strong regional ties - its founder Jensen Huang is an Oregon State University graduate and recent $50 million donor for supercomputing research - add momentum to the program.

The multifaceted initiative is detailed in the Oregonian's coverage of the state's AI faculty investment, and further expanded in GovTech's analysis of the AI Ambassador Program's impact.

For more on the partnership's economic and workforce implications, see the Portland Business Journal's report on the $10 million AI workforce initiative.

The initiative's targeted approach to skill-building, entrepreneurship, and access ensures Oregon is poised for strong, inclusive tech sector growth.

Visa is reshaping the future of e-commerce in Portland and beyond with the launch of its Intelligent Commerce APIs, a pivotal move that enables artificial intelligence agents to both shop for and pay on behalf of consumers.

Through new partnerships with AI leaders like Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI, Visa's platform allows users to securely upload and tokenize their payment credentials - empowering AI agents to execute transactions within preset spending limits, preferred merchant categories, and even real-time approval prompts, all backed by Visa's proven fraud prevention expertise.

As Visa's new API suite for AI-driven commerce goes live with partners including Stripe and Samsung, the industry is witnessing a collaborative race, with Mastercard, PayPal, and Amazon also piloting AI-driven agentic commerce.

Consumer control and safety remain central, as Visa's AI agents support everything from routine groceries to complex travel bookings - seeking user consent for purchasing and data sharing, and promising increased efficiency without sacrificing privacy or oversight.

As Jack Forestell, Visa's chief product and strategy officer, put it:

“We think this could be really important - transformational, on the order of magnitude of the advent of e-commerce itself.”

Visa's initiative is not just a leap in convenience, but a strategic bid to open digital payments to a new era of autonomous commerce, with initial pilots already underway and broader rollout expected next year.

For a comprehensive look at how Visa and its tech partners are driving this evolution, read the TechCrunch overview of AI-powered shopping agents and payment innovations, and explore the partnership and societal impact in detail at OpenTools' detailed analysis of Visa's AI collaboration with leading tech companies.

The University of Portland is taking a national lead in ethical tech education with its new Ethical AI Initiative, set to launch during the 2025-26 academic year.

This cross-curricular program will embed AI ethics and literacy into six diverse courses - including organizational communication, mathematics, business analytics, technology in education, and societal impacts of AI - ensuring students across majors engage deeply with the ethical and societal dimensions of artificial intelligence.

As Dr. Natalie Nelson-Marsh, a course leader, remarked,

“When students understand how human-AI collaboration shapes the way we organize, they are empowered not just to use these technologies - but to integrate them ethically. This involves more than future-proofing our students' careers. It's about leading conversations that will define the future of work itself.”

Supported by leadership's mission to nurture well-rounded graduates and critical AI literacy, the initiative follows last year's national conference on AI and values-based education, with plans for another event in October.

The university also celebrates recent honors like the Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose classification and being ranked the #1 Private School in the West.

For more information on the new curriculum, visit the University of Portland's official announcement of the Ethical AI Initiative, explore a detailed breakdown of the initiative in Business Wire's coverage of AI Ethics at University of Portland, and read additional context in this AI & Ethics feature on University of Portland's program.

The summary table below highlights key details of the program:

Program Launch	Number of Courses	Key Disciplines	Notable Recognitions
2025-26 Academic Year	Six	Communication, Mathematics, Business, Education, Society	#1 Private School (West), Carnegie Classification

The Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) is bringing its highly anticipated SIIM25 Annual Meeting and InformaticsTECH Expo to Portland from May 21 to 23, 2025, gathering clinicians, IT innovators, researchers, and vendors at the Oregon Convention Center for a deep dive into transformative advancements in medical imaging.

This global convening spotlights the latest in artificial intelligence (AI), enterprise imaging, cybersecurity, and evolving workflow standards, with interactive sessions and an expo showcasing cutting-edge innovations from leading industry players.

Attendees can expect demonstrations from organizations like iCAD, revealing their FDA-cleared AI suite for precise breast cancer detection, as well as new streamlined, AI-driven radiology workflows by deepcOS and thought leadership from Mach7 Technologies.

A rich educational program includes roundtables on agentic AI in radiology and enterprise imaging integration, enabling practitioners to take actionable strategies back to their organizations.

As noted by SIIM, the event aims to help participants

“grow relationships, gain knowledge, and take actionable strategies back to your organization,”

underscoring the conference's blend of professional development and industry networking.

For details on the agenda, registration, and keynote sessions, visit the official SIIM25 Annual Meeting page, explore featured innovations and speaker highlights at the Imaging Technology News preview, and connect with solution partners and panelists at deepc's SIIM25 conference platform.

This month, Portland's tech news has been shaped by revelations that Good Daily, an AI-powered local news aggregator running over 350 websites across 47 states, faces mounting criticism for unauthorized content scraping from Southern Oregon newsrooms and beyond.

Local publishers, represented by the News Media Alliance, have issued formal warnings to Good Daily for reproducing journalism without consent, with some content even rewriting or plagiarizing articles from legitimate outlets and circulating them in newsletters without permission.

The scandal has exposed fake local news operations using AI-generated bylines - including identity theft of real journalists - as seen in the reemergence of the Ashland Daily Tidings website, which republished stories with misleading attribution and slight rewrites to capture web traffic.

As Danielle Coffey, president of the News Media Alliance, explained,

“Publishers must have control of how and where their copyrighted material is used. As AI tools proliferate, we have to ensure that they are used responsibly. AI can be a powerful tool… but if used recklessly it can undermine the health of the organizations that dedicate substantial resources to creating news…”

The impact is stark: Google has demonetized violating pages after alerts, while local outlets like Ashland.news fight back with locally focused, trusted reporting and have seen newsletter signups triple since the closure of their competitor.

For a timeline of key events and data, see the table below. For a detailed account of publisher warnings and industry response, read the Dig.watch coverage on Good Daily's backlash; for the local context of AI-driven plagiarism and identity theft, see OPB's investigation into AI plagiarism in Oregon journalism; and for publisher advocacy and legal challenges, consult the News Media Alliance's official statement on AI newsletter challenges.

Fact/Event	Details/Date
Ashland Daily Tidings newspaper closed	2023
Fake Ashland Daily Tidings website reemergence	After 2023
Joe Minihane identity theft discovered	2024
Number of Ashland.news newsletter subscribers	~4,750 (2024), triple previous
Google demonetized violating Daily Tidings pages	After OPB alert (2024)
7,000 newspaper jobs lost nationwide	2022–2023

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, a key figure in Oregon's tech scene, returned to George Fox University this April to deliver a much-anticipated lecture titled “Big Tech & Big Responsibility: F.AI.th, Work and Preparing the Next Generation.” Gelsinger's talk, just months after his departure as Intel CEO, interwove insights from his storied career and faith, addressing artificial intelligence's transformative potential and the ethical imperative for tech leaders.

He reflected candidly on his transition out of Intel, describing his initial frustration but affirming,

“God's on the throne and he has a plan… I'm not done.”

Emphasizing the historic shift, Gelsinger declared AI “way more important than the internet,” urging the next generation to ensure technology remains a force for good.

As reported by The Oregonian's coverage of Pat Gelsinger's lecture on faith and technology, Gelsinger's impact on technologies like Wi-Fi, USB, and Intel's processor legacy highlights his enduring influence.

The event, spotlighted in George Fox University's official announcement of Gelsinger's talk, underlined his view that classical computing, AI, and quantum computing form a “trinity” to address global challenges.

For a summary of the discussion and event details, community readers can also visit local coverage at Newsberg Notices' report on the April 2025 tech event.

Oregon is rapidly embracing the AI-powered energy revolution by repurposing former coal plant sites to meet skyrocketing electricity demand driven by the proliferation of data centers and advanced tech.

As regional forecasts show that electricity needs in the Northwest could double by 2046, with data centers already accounting for 11% of Oregon's electricity use - more than twice that of all Portland homes - strategies are evolving to convert coal "brownfield" properties into assets for gas, nuclear, solar, and battery storage projects, largely due to their invaluable preexisting grid connections that bypass new permitting hurdles (coal plant reuse for AI and energy demand in Oregon).

President Trump has even invoked emergency powers to keep some older coal plants operational, reflecting national urgency for transmission-ready sites. Legislative efforts, such as Oregon's House Bill 3546, ensure data centers - not local residents or small businesses - shoulder the costs for their immense energy use, requiring ten-year utility purchase commitments from new facilities (Oregon House protects consumers from data center power costs).

As the sector pivots, redevelopment of coal sites offers notable advantages, including up to 35% cost savings for nuclear projects and catalyzing mixed-use energy hubs through innovative conversions, as outlined in recent AP and industry reports (coal plant conversions and AI-driven energy demand).

“Everyone sort of sees the writing on the wall for the need for transmission infrastructure, the need for clean, firm power, the difficulty with siting projects, and the value of reusing brownfield sites.”

The transformation of aging coal sites marks a turning point for Oregon, linking economic revival, sustainable power, and the region's emergence as an AI and data center hotspot.

Oregon's semiconductor industry is seeing unprecedented growth, thanks to a surge of public and private investment driven by state and federal initiatives such as the CHIPS Act.

Recent awards include up to $7.86 billion for Intel to advance its Hillsboro research and manufacturing facilities, supporting thousands of jobs and cementing Oregon's status as a national leader in chip R&D and advanced packaging technologies.

HP also secured $53 million in federal funding to expand its Corvallis site, creating over 250 new positions and establishing a “lab-to-fab” facility targeting breakthroughs in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

The state's workforce development efforts are robust, with programs at Oregon State University and community colleges providing a pipeline of skilled labor for the sector, and the novel CHIPS Child Care Fund supporting equitable access for workers.

As detailed in Oregon's official semiconductor industry report, the state offers 9% of US semiconductor employment despite holding only 1.3% of the population and is uniquely equipped with High-NA EUV technology.

With notable support also coming from the Biden-Harris Administration's record funding awards and ongoing state incentives, Oregon's “Silicon Forest” is poised for continued leadership in semiconductor innovation and production.

As Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger remarked,

“Restoring semiconductor leadership in the U.S. is our calling.”

For a comprehensive breakdown of recent investments fueling this momentum, see the table below.

Company	Federal CHIPS Funding	Project Focus	Jobs Created
Intel	$7.86 billion	Advanced manufacturing & R&D in Hillsboro	10,000+ company, 20,000 construction, 50,000+ indirect
HP	$53 million	MEMS R&D and manufacturing in Corvallis	150 construction, 100+ manufacturing

For further perspective on the nationwide implications and expanded supply chain investment, visit the Semiconductor Industry Association's latest overview.

Portland's medical AI sector is experiencing a period of robust innovation, from startup breakthroughs to prominent national conferences. Notably, First Ascent Biomedical, a local startup focusing on personalized cancer therapy solutions, secured $6 million in seed funding this year, spotlighting how AI-driven healthcare remains a strong draw for investment in the Portland region.

The upcoming SIIM25 Annual Meeting + InformaticsTECH Expo will further position Portland as a thought leader in medical AI, featuring discussions on “imaging's AI transformation journey” and the growing role of agentic AI for workflow automation in radiology and cardiology.

Portland's health tech innovation aligns with broader trends, as 2025 has seen healthcare AI investments soar, with clinical AI solutions for diagnostics, imaging, and precision medicine gaining significant traction.

The table below highlights recent Portland-funded health AI startups:

Company	Focus	Funding (2025)	Employees
First Ascent Biomedical	AI for personalized cancer therapy	$6M (Seed Round)	12
Reperio Health	Employee healthcare benefits	$1M (Seed Round)	24

Nationally, AI healthcare investments in 2024 hit $23 billion, with 30% earmarked for AI-driven technologies like diagnostic tools, virtual care, and drug discovery (Healthcare AI funding and trends in 2025).

As Portland continues to bridge local startups and global best practices in imaging informatics, the city's ecosystem is poised for even greater growth.

“Blooming Health was founded to ensure no one falls through the cracks... By putting AI at the core of our solution, we can proactively reach out to millions...”

Learn more about how scale-up platforms like Blooming Health are changing care delivery in this insightful Blooming Health funding announcement.

As April 2025 comes to a close, Portland's tech sector underscores its role as a Pacific Northwest innovation leader, with AI and startup momentum reaching new highs.

Notable funding news includes Sturdy.ai's $6 million round led by Voyager Capital, fueling growth in intelligent customer retention - a development that demonstrates Portland's appeal to investors and its commitment to practical AI applications.

“We're creating an AI-first intelligent interface for all things customer. This allows Sturdy to provide an almost magical understanding of every customer interaction across every data silo,”

said Steve Hazelton, Sturdy.ai's CEO, highlighting the region's focus on impactful solutions.

Meanwhile, the launch of the AI Oregon K-12 Collaborative by Oregon State University aims to build AI literacy across the state's schools, ensuring that workforce development keeps pace with local industry needs through open, ongoing educator engagement.

The city also witnessed a surge in venture capital activity this quarter and a calendar packed with startup events and meetups, signaling a thriving, collaborative community according to Silicon Florist.

These efforts complement state investment in AI workforce development and solidify Portland's status as a city where innovation, education, and economic opportunity are deeply intertwined.

For readers inspired by Portland's progress, Nucamp offers accessible pathways into software development and cybersecurity - financing, scholarships, and bootcamp details can be explored on Nucamp's financing and scholarship page.

Portland's tech edge is not just in the breakthroughs it announces, but in the strong, inclusive ecosystem it continues to nurture.