[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":347},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fwaymo-to-launch-singapore-robotaxi-service-in-2028-merceds-castle-takes-note":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":335,"dateModified":335,"description":336,"extension":13,"meta":337,"navigation":21,"path":338,"rawbody":339,"seo":340,"sitemap":341,"stem":342,"tags":343,"__hash__":346},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fwaymo-to-launch-singapore-robotaxi-service-in-2028-merceds-castle-takes-note.md","Waymo to launch Singapore robotaxi service in 2028; Merced’s Castle takes note",false,"Sam Patel",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":328},[242,246,250,266,269,273,276,279,283,286,289,293,296,299,315,318,322],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"waymo-to-launch-singapore-robotaxi-service-in-2028-merceds-castle-takes-note",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Waymo says it will roll out driverless ride-hailing in Singapore in 2028.",[254,258,259],{},"Singapore’s transport officials expect initial manual driving in 2027.",[254,261,262],{},"Merced County’s Castle Commerce Center hosts AV testing and has included Waymo trials.",[254,264,265],{},"Waymo hasn’t announced service for the Central Valley; the closest public rides are in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.",[66,267,268],{},"A single orange cone sat scuffed on the city-course at Castle Commerce Center on Thursday morning. County officials have pitched this former Air Force base near Atwater as a testbed for self-driving tech for years, and Waymo has been among the companies to put miles here. The company’s new move is half a world away, but the implications land close to home by sentence three: global robotaxi growth shapes the jobs, training and suppliers that touch Merced County.",[61,270,272],{"id":271},"waymo-sets-a-date","Waymo sets a date",[66,274,275],{},"Alphabet’s Waymo said it plans to launch a fully driverless, all‑electric ride‑hailing service in Singapore in 2028. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority said the program will start with vehicles doing manual driving and validation in 2027, then open to paying riders a year later. It’s the company’s first announced service in Southeast Asia, and it follows steady expansion in U.S. markets where the company already offers public trips.",[66,277,278],{},"Waymo currently carries riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Phoenix metro. No Central Valley city is on its public roadmap. Not yet.",[61,280,282],{"id":281},"why-this-matters-in-the-valley","Why this matters in the Valley",[66,284,285],{},"Merced County turned part of Castle into a proving ground run with TRC California, adding an oval, a city course and vehicle dynamics pads geared for autonomous and advanced driver‑assist testing. Economic development staff have long said this kind of facility can bring vendor contracts, light manufacturing and engineering work to the region. Waymo’s Singapore timeline signals that operators still want controlled sites, validation partners and trained technicians years before full commercial launch in a new city. Those are all roles Valley firms and workers can fill.",[66,287,288],{},"UC Merced has leaned into that pipeline. Engineering labs on campus are working on perception and control problems for autonomous systems, and faculty have public projects focused on making on‑vehicle AI faster and more reliable. Merced College has held campus forums on AI uses and risks as it reshapes short‑term certificates for industry needs. That’s not hype, it is course catalogs and grant announcements lining up with what operators say they need.",[61,290,292],{"id":291},"what-local-agencies-and-employers-can-do-next","What local agencies and employers can do next",[66,294,295],{},"Transit and public works departments in Merced, Turlock and Madera track this space because curb rules, pickup zones and data‑sharing policies tend to travel with the fleets. Private employers track it because robotaxi rollouts often come with supplier hires for sensors, calibration and fleet maintenance, even when the rides launch somewhere else first. A clean takeaway for now is simple: Singapore’s date gives a planning clock. Local players can spend the next 12 to 24 months tightening workforce programs, vendor registrations and site availability at Castle.",[66,297,298],{},"Back on the Castle course, a breeze kicked grit along the painted crosswalk as a safety truck idled by the cones. Nothing glamorous, just work.",[66,300,301],{},[302,303,304,305,308,309,314],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,306,307],{},"CVAI Newsdesk"," team and developed by ",[310,311,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":312},[313],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[316,317],"hr",{},[61,319,321],{"id":320},"source","Source",[66,323,324],{},[310,325,326],{"href":326,"rel":327},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mercedsunstar.com\u002Fnews\u002Fbusiness\u002Farticle317280555.html",[313],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":329},[330,331,332,333,334],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":271,"depth":11,"text":272},{"id":281,"depth":11,"text":282},{"id":291,"depth":11,"text":292},{"id":320,"depth":11,"text":321},"2026-09-18","Alphabet’s Waymo will open driverless ride-hailing in Singapore by 2028. Here’s why Merced County’s Castle test center and UC Merced care.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fwaymo-to-launch-singapore-robotaxi-service-in-2028-merceds-castle-takes-note","---\nauthor: Sam Patel\ndate: '2026-09-18'\ndateModified: '2026-09-18'\ndescription: Alphabet’s Waymo will open driverless ride-hailing in Singapore by 2028.\n  Here’s why Merced County’s Castle test center and UC Merced care.\ntags:\n- transportation\n- merced\n- business\ntitle: Waymo to launch Singapore robotaxi service in 2028; Merced’s Castle takes note\n---\n\n# Waymo to launch Singapore robotaxi service in 2028; Merced’s Castle takes note\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Waymo says it will roll out driverless ride-hailing in Singapore in 2028.\n2. Singapore’s transport officials expect initial manual driving in 2027.\n3. Merced County’s Castle Commerce Center hosts AV testing and has included Waymo trials.\n4. Waymo hasn’t announced service for the Central Valley; the closest public rides are in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.\n\nA single orange cone sat scuffed on the city-course at Castle Commerce Center on Thursday morning. County officials have pitched this former Air Force base near Atwater as a testbed for self-driving tech for years, and Waymo has been among the companies to put miles here. The company’s new move is half a world away, but the implications land close to home by sentence three: global robotaxi growth shapes the jobs, training and suppliers that touch Merced County.\n\n## Waymo sets a date\n\nAlphabet’s Waymo said it plans to launch a fully driverless, all‑electric ride‑hailing service in Singapore in 2028. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority said the program will start with vehicles doing manual driving and validation in 2027, then open to paying riders a year later. It’s the company’s first announced service in Southeast Asia, and it follows steady expansion in U.S. markets where the company already offers public trips.\n\nWaymo currently carries riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Phoenix metro. No Central Valley city is on its public roadmap. Not yet.\n\n## Why this matters in the Valley\n\nMerced County turned part of Castle into a proving ground run with TRC California, adding an oval, a city course and vehicle dynamics pads geared for autonomous and advanced driver‑assist testing. Economic development staff have long said this kind of facility can bring vendor contracts, light manufacturing and engineering work to the region. Waymo’s Singapore timeline signals that operators still want controlled sites, validation partners and trained technicians years before full commercial launch in a new city. Those are all roles Valley firms and workers can fill.\n\nUC Merced has leaned into that pipeline. Engineering labs on campus are working on perception and control problems for autonomous systems, and faculty have public projects focused on making on‑vehicle AI faster and more reliable. Merced College has held campus forums on AI uses and risks as it reshapes short‑term certificates for industry needs. That’s not hype, it is course catalogs and grant announcements lining up with what operators say they need.\n\n## What local agencies and employers can do next\n\nTransit and public works departments in Merced, Turlock and Madera track this space because curb rules, pickup zones and data‑sharing policies tend to travel with the fleets. Private employers track it because robotaxi rollouts often come with supplier hires for sensors, calibration and fleet maintenance, even when the rides launch somewhere else first. A clean takeaway for now is simple: Singapore’s date gives a planning clock. Local players can spend the next 12 to 24 months tightening workforce programs, vendor registrations and site availability at Castle.\n\nBack on the Castle course, a breeze kicked grit along the painted crosswalk as a safety truck idled by the cones. Nothing glamorous, just work.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.mercedsunstar.com\u002Fnews\u002Fbusiness\u002Farticle317280555.html\n",{"title":237,"description":336},{"loc":338},"news\u002Fwaymo-to-launch-singapore-robotaxi-service-in-2028-merceds-castle-takes-note",[344,152,345],"transportation","business","8x4_ax_oLrXKBgp0ChVCbIn437BwNMAbBhSRkLKVoGo",1789734028548]