Acceleration Zones

A New Type of Special Economic Zone for Technologists

(Mostly from NA post)

I want a radically better future. I believe that technology, in coordination with institutions, can deliver it. At Praxis, we announced a new kind of Special Economic Zone today: Acceleration Zones. 

Acceleration Zones.

Acceleration Zones (AZs) are a new type of Special Economic Zone that accelerate technological progress in service of national priorities. Acceleration Zones do this by attracting technologists and developing an institutional structure that guides technological development and the reinvestment of proceeds. The key features of Acceleration Zones are: 

  1. Permissionless innovation as an operating principle; new technologies will not be preemptively regulated.

  2. Labor law must be Elon-compatible.

  3. Simple, familiar laws.

  4. Swift, merit-based visa issuance.

  5. Specific regulatory changes and incentives tailored to attract companies in regulated industries, and guide technological progress. 

  6. Governance by Acceleration Zone Board: AZB is authorized to make regulatory changes on an ongoing basis to meet the changing needs of companies and upon identifying new opportunities for the nation. The board sets measurable, quantifiable goals.

  7. Operated by a private Acceleration Zone Operator: a company or foundation dedicated to the aggregation of residential and commercial demand, and the ongoing development and operation of the AZ. This is supplementary State Capacity. 

  8. Optional: Acceleration Zone Fund, to invest in businesses that establish operations within the Zone, with strategic local, corporate, and bilateral LPs.

Acceleration Zones are designed to be attractive to Government, Companies, Capital, and Residents. 

Governments (especially elected officials): AZs are simple to implement (generally passing one law is sufficient), and offer an immediate winning popular narrative: 

  • $10-100B Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) package from the companies that set up operations.

  • Concrete solutions to pressing issues in the country (e.g. public transportation, energy, unemployment), direct or indirect. 1) Direct: Create jobs, reverse brain drain. 2) Indirect: Proceeds invested in infrastructure and social goods.

  • Big name companies, founders, and cultural figures moving elicits a sense of national pride.

  • Visually attractive: Successful AZs will become beautiful, green, culturally dynamic cities, monuments to their nation’s culture and future.

  • Influence over technology development. 

  • Competitive strategic positioning, e.g. internal production of energy, semiconductors, etc. 

Companies: AZs unlock technological progress and economic opportunity via regulatory change, economic incentives, and new infrastructure. Further, successful AZs will have top talent and offer Silicon Valley business norms in new markets. 

Investors: AZs will make money on golden visas for residents, land value appreciation / monetization (the companies are clustered on a single site), and corporate and income tax revenue. Investors will include the governments, corporate strategics, bilateral strategics, partner developers, and residents. 

Residents will move to Acceleration Zones because they offer an opportunity to build the future. Some residents will be returning to their homeland with a feeling of patriotic duty; others exploring a new frontier. AZs are an opportunity to found a new company, found a new culture, and found a new city with the most talented, ambitious, optimistic people in the world. 


Opportunities unlocked by Acceleration Zones generally take the shape of new technologies with significant regulatory burden. Examples include:

  • Accelerating AI: 

    • Implement Model AI Regulation, become a global thought leader. 

    • Build $100B of data centers; blockers AZs can remove include land acquisition, zoning, energy cost, and capital cost via local and bi-lateral strategic investment and economic incentives. 

    • 10x’ing semiconductor manufacturing: blockers AZs can remove include land acquisition, zoning, energy cost, talent, and capital cost via local and bi-lateral strategic investment and economic incentives. 

  • Accelerating Energy:

    • 10x’ing energy production with nuclear: blockers AZs can remove include regulation, accelerated licensing, land acquisition, zoning, energy cost, capital cost, and revenue risk. 

  • Accelerating Biotech: 

    • Increasing velocity of experiments: blockers AZs can remove include regulation (Right-to-Try laws), revenue risk (regional licenses), capital cost, and talent. 

There are a ton of companies that could help build AZs, and benefit from them::

These companies are building the future in a diffuse sense; people should be able to visit the future. Acceleration Zones unlock that possibility. 

The aggregate impact of Acceleration Zones is the acceleration of AI, energy, biotech, and everything else. AZs will quickly deliver the benefits of Silicon Valley to the world, in a real, practical, visible way to impact the everyday lives of people. Further, they do so in an institutionally aligned way to avoid friction and blockers. Long term, Acceleration Zones may be our path to the stars. 


Praxis is Developing Acceleration Zones. 

Praxis is actively developing special zones for technologists, in partnership with governments. 

  • We are engaged with 7 governments on Zone creation projects.

  • We are working with companies (including some of the companies linked above) to identify regulatory and incentive unlocks for technology and research projects via new Zones. 

  • Our development team has built 3 new cities with >100k residents each. 

Praxis’ first project will be a new city on the Mediterranean in an Acceleration Zone. The City will accelerate technological progress by supporting those solving the world’s hardest problems, and foster a culture of vitality. 


Acceleration Zone Ecosystem.

We hope Acceleration Zones become a lever that everyone in the ecosystem can use: 

Existing startup city projects:

Other projects in the ecosystem:

Funds:


Please reach out on X if you want to discuss details.


Join us.

If you represent a Government and want to develop an Acceleration Zone, reach out (government@cityofpraxis.org). Our Government Relations team is happy to speak with you. 

If you represent a company and want to build the future in an Acceleration Zone, reach out. We want to help you unlock progress. 

And if you believe in techno-optimism and want to see it implemented, help us build Acceleration Zones by joining the Praxis community and moving to the first one. It’s time to build the future. It’s time to kickstart a new civilizational technology program that will deliver us the final frontier, infinite wisdom, and eternal life.