Economic output
GDP in 41 U.S. southern border counties · 2024
Two countries. A shared advantage.The US/MX Border.
The US/MX Border.
North America’s industrial epicenter.
We believe in turning the U.S.–Mexico border into the industrial epicenter of North America, creating the AI-enabled infrastructure for the next 50 years. Connected manufacturing, logistics, trade, ports and warehousing can make the entire supply chain more resilient and competitive.
How that advantage takes shapeAn economic foundation at scale.
The border in numbers [1]People
Population of those same 41 U.S. border counties · 2024
Jobs
Total employment in those 41 U.S. border counties · 2024
Commercial crossings
Loaded truck-container crossings at the U.S.–Mexico border · 2025
GDP, population and employment figures cover the U.S. side only. M = million; T = trillion U.S. dollars. Crossing figures count loaded truck containers.
Trade demands greater capacity.
Cumulative growth in loaded truck-container crossings, 2015–2025.
Texas carries the largest flow.
Share of U.S.–Mexico loaded truck-container crossings by state, 2025.
The relationship between both countries
$964.1 billion in estimated bilateral goods and services trade in 2025, according to USTR. Includes all transport modes and services. [2]
In 2025, U.S. bilateral trade with Mexico exceeded trade with Canada ($872.3 billion) and China ($494.6 billion), comparing goods and services. [3] [4]
Our shared mission
Re-industrialize North America. Together.
Our mission is to advance middle-market companies along the U.S.–Mexico border, help bilateral trade reach $2 trillion USD over 10 years, and help create 1 million net new jobs. We believe we can help re-industrialize North America and build a more resilient, thriving industrial hub. We build partnerships with technical colleges, workforce development committees and universities to prepare people for AI-enabled trades and technical roles.
$2 trillion USDin bilateral trade over 10 years
1 millionnet new jobs
Center ambitions for shared prosperity in both countries.
01
The investment hub
A premier corridor for advanced technology and industrial innovation.
Connect investment, engineering and industrial capability to make the region a destination for developing and deploying the next generation of technology.
02
Binational prosperity
Shared engineering, capital and economic growth. Stronger outcomes in both countries.
Bring together the strengths of U.S. and Mexican companies, talent and institutions so productivity gains translate into stronger businesses and durable economic opportunity on both sides.
03
Regulatory & permit reform
Clearer approvals and simpler cross-border tax compliance.
Advance dialogue on streamlining permitting and construction approvals at federal, state and municipal levels in both countries, and simplifying tax compliance for cross-border operators.
04
Frictionless mobility
More seamless, secure lawful journeys for people and cargo.
Promote modern transit and coordinated processes, drawing inspiration from the convenience and security of SENTRI, TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and FAST. The ambition is dependable movement across the whole journey.
05
Market Intelligence
Understand demand, industrial investment and the forces reshaping corridor markets.
Translate sector research and published regional evidence into a clearer view of customer needs, supply-chain shifts and opportunities for investment.
06
Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership
Bring leaders together to turn market signals into a shared agenda for action.
Use executive round tables and cross-sector dialogue to connect evidence with the decisions companies and institutions need to make.
07
Thought Leadership and Insights
Practical perspectives on physical AI, industrial competitiveness and the future of work.
Publish insights that connect research, operator experience and technical expertise. Make the implications for business leaders clear and actionable.
08
Jobs and Innovation
Work with technical colleges and workforce development committees to prepare people for AI-enabled trades.
Seek education and industry partnerships that connect training to emerging roles in manufacturing, logistics, energy and physical AI.
09
Supply Chain Resilience & Traceability
Strengthen continuity from supplier to customer with visible, traceable product and shipment records.
Connect supplier, production and shipment evidence to detect disruption sooner, coordinate recovery and give customers confidence in origin, quality and delivery.
A long-term agenda for businesses, public institutions, universities and think tanks in both countries.
Contribute to the missionWhy the corridor
Three pillars. Prosperity in both countries.
The goal is to turn proximity, shared engineering and capital into a more competitive North American supply chain: better service, greater capacity and lower total cost.
Binational synergy
Connect U.S. and Mexican engineering, suppliers, investment and talent. Help companies improve together so growth creates opportunity on both sides of the border.
Permit & tax reform
Advance a shared agenda to remove unnecessary friction in federal, state and municipal construction and infrastructure approvals in both countries, and simplify cross-border tax compliance.
Frictionless movement
Promote next-generation trusted-traveler and trusted-cargo security and transit layers. Coordinate lawful movement of people, goods and information while preserving effective controls.
The 10-year roadmap
Build the path toward $2 trillion.
The Center’s proposed roadmap for the next ten years. This is a working agenda and shared ambition, not a forecast or government commitment.
- 01
Years 1–2 · Establish the foundation
Baseline trade, crossing reliability, labor needs and company productivity. Identify priority bottlenecks, map permit and tax friction, and scope initial company pilots.
Track: baselines completed, opportunities scoped, pilot results. - 02
Years 3–5 · Connect the operating system
Scale validated applications across plants, warehouses, brokers and port operations. Develop shared data standards, supplier coordination and workforce pathways; advance targeted reform proposals.
Track: unit cost, dwell time, capacity, customer reliability and adoption. - 03
Years 6–8 · Expand corridor capability
Replicate successful operating models across regional clusters. Align technology investment with infrastructure readiness, skilled labor and trusted movement of people and cargo.
Track: investment, supplier participation, skilled roles and crossing predictability. - 04
Years 9–10 · Consolidate shared prosperity
Evaluate progress toward $2T in bilateral goods and services trade. Refresh the agenda around demonstrated productivity, economic impact and benefits reaching both countries.
Track: bilateral trade, productivity, higher-value employment and regional impact.
UTEP Hunt Institute data integration
A strategy grounded in regional evidence.
The Center’s agenda aims to integrate the Hunt Institute’s published research and data with company operating questions. This reference does not imply a formal institutional partnership.
Regional labor dynamics
Connect employment, wages and industry trends with decisions about where and how to expand.
Engineering talent pipelines
Pair regional labor evidence with university and technical-college input to map skills, training capacity and adoption needs.
Economic impact
Use published regional analysis to assess how company productivity and investment could translate into broader growth.
From business strength to regional competitiveness
Better businesses. Better connections. A stronger chain.
A dependable factory improves logistics planning. A well-documented shipment reduces rework. A traceable delivery supports accurate billing. When information travels with the work, one company’s improvement can benefit the whole chain.
Explore each stage to see how AI can create value.
A stronger business
Make the customer promise more dependable.
Use AI to detect quality issues, anticipate equipment failures and adapt production schedules to demand and available capacity.
Explore this focus areaA stronger supply chain
Share reliable completion dates and quality records with carriers, warehouses and customers so they can plan around actual production.
More saleable output. Fewer defects. More reliable delivery commitments.What to measure
First-pass yield · schedule adherence · cost per good unit
What connects every stage
Permissioned data sharing. Common order and shipment identifiers. Traceable records. Teams coordinating decisions across companies.
The Border AI competitiveness thesis
Compete on the whole supply chain.
For North American customers, geographic proximity and the complementary industrial capabilities of both countries can create an advantage over alternative sourcing routes. AI can reinforce that advantage by improving cost, speed, reliability and capital use together.
Total delivered cost
Better yields, fuller loads and fewer document exceptions can reduce the combined cost of production, transport, rework and disruption.
The comparison that matters
Compare the complete cost to serve across each sourcing route.
Speed & responsiveness
Proximity to North American customers, paired with coordinated production and transport, can support faster replenishment and quicker changes in product mix than longer-distance sourcing.
The comparison that matters
Compare order-to-delivery time and the speed of responding to demand.
Reliability & customer value
Earlier detection of quality, capacity and shipment problems gives companies more time to recover. More dependable commitments can help win and retain customers.
The comparison that matters
Compare on-time, in-full delivery and variability across the entire route.
Working capital & growth
Shorter, more predictable replenishment can reduce inventory tied up in transit or buffers. Accurate delivery and invoice records can accelerate billing and dispute resolution.
The comparison that matters
Compare inventory days, the cash-conversion cycle and cash available for growth.
An advantage to prove, route by route.
The best choice depends on the product, supplier capacity, labor costs, tariffs, infrastructure and customer needs. The goal is to demonstrate a better end-to-end result than the alternatives using evidence from each business and its network.
The shared agenda
What turns potential into performance.
From the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, each market has its own conditions. A useful AI strategy connects commercial ambition with the physical, institutional and human realities of each location.
Infrastructure that can deliver
Align ports, roads, warehouses and industrial capacity with dependable power, water and digital connectivity.
People who can act
Equip operators, specialists and business leaders to use better information, manage exceptions and make accountable decisions.
Coordination across borders
Build trusted data relationships among companies and connect industry, institutions and research around concrete regional opportunities.
Sources & data scope
- UTEP Hunt Institute & U.S.–Mexico Foundation · Get the U.S. Border Facts (2026) ↗
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau, BEA and BTS. GDP, population and employment: 41 counties on the U.S. side, 2024; the fact sheet uses the border-region definition of the 1983 La Paz Agreement. Crossings: loaded truck containers, 2025. Growth compares 2015 with 2025; state shares measure crossings, not trade value. Figures are shown as reported by the source.
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative · Mexico ↗
Estimated U.S.–Mexico bilateral goods and services trade in 2025. Its scope differs from the county-level and land-crossing figures. Sources accessed September 2026.
- USTR · Canada ↗
Estimated U.S.–Canada bilateral goods and services trade, 2025: $872.3 billion.
- USTR · China ↗
Estimated U.S.–China bilateral goods and services trade, 2025: $494.6 billion.
The AI applications and potential benefits described are Border AI’s thesis; they are not impact estimates from the fact sheet or reported results from Center projects.
From regional opportunity to business value
Build a stronger business. Make the whole supply chain more competitive.
Let’s identify a core business capability, the connections it depends on and the outcomes worth improving.