Район в калифорнии сша где расположены офисы многих компьютерных компаний называется

Место.

     На официальных географических картах США, территории под названием Кремниевая (или Силиконовая) долина не существует. Тем не менее, пожалуй, любой уважающий себя бизнесмен, венчурный инвестор или стартарпер в мире наверняка ответит, что такое место есть, находится оно в штате Калифорния США и является ведущим мировым центром притяжения для разработчиков высокотехнологических проектов или местом развития мировых инноваций.

    Под Кремниевой долиной подразумевают территорию — место, где накоплен уникальный опыт создания и продвижения высокотехнологичных, наукоемких стартапов, лучшую в мире площадку, на которой, вот уже более полувека успешно взаимодействуют венчурные инвесторы, разработчики, стартарперы, представители ведущих мировых технологических компаний и деловых СМИ.

    Изначально, под понятием «Кремниевая долина» подразумевали территорию находящуюся примерно в 20 милях от Сан-Франциско в районе пяти малых городов — Пало-Альто, Саннинвейл, Маутен-Вью, Купертино, и Санта-Клара. В настоящее время Кремниевой долиной считается куда более обширная территория от Сан-Франциско до Сан-Хосе включительно. Кремниевая долина сегодня это северная часть долины Санта-Клара, частично полуостров Сан-Франциско, восточный берег залива Сан-Франциско, туда же можно включить Кэмпбелл, Белмонт, Сан-Мантео, Поло-Альто, Фримонт, Лос-Алтос, Лос-Гатос, Менло-Парк, Милпитас, Морган Хил, Редвуд-Сити, Саратога, местность между хребтами Рашен-Ридж, Монте-Белло и Береговым хребтом ограниченную горами Койот-Пик, а так же долины Вест, Алмаден, Энергин, Палм и Мишен. В какой то мере, туда же можно отнести Санта-Круз, Скотс-Валли, Ливермор и Плезантон. Центром или неофициальной столицей Кремниевой долины принято считать Сан-Хосе.

История Кремниевой долины.

     По всей видимости, история Кремниевой долины берет свое начало в 1951г. в Стэдфордском индустриальном парке, который создавался на землях Стэнфордского университета передаваемых им в долгосрочную аренду (до 99 лет) высокотехнологическим компаниям.

    Первыми резидентами нового инновационного центра стали — Varian Associates, Hewlett-Paskard, Eastman Kodak, General Electric, Lockheed Corporation, другие высокотехнологические компании и стартапы.

    Меньше полувека назад, в 1971г. понятие «Кремниевая долина» стало входить в мировой обиход с легкой руки журналиста Дона Хефлера, который использовал его первым в рамках серии статей под названием — Кремниевая долина США.

    Не стоит путать понятия «Кремниевая долина» и «Силиконовая долина», как то связывая их между собой. Поскольку Silicon Valley (Кремниевая долина) находится в Калифорнии, а Silicone Valley (Силиконовая долина) или долина Сан-Фернандо, является другим знаковым-злаковым местом в США, где снимается большинство порнофильмов.

    Самым первым, глобальным и успешным проектом Кремниевой долины стал Hewlet-Packard. В настоящее время компания является одним из мировых лидеров в области производства персональных компьютеров и других периферийных устройств.

Инфраструктура Кремниевой долины.

    Основа — штат Калифорния (столица Сакраменто), крупнейшие города — Лос-Анжелес, Сан-Франциско, Сан-Хосе, Окленд, Сан-Диего, Сан-Бернардино, Риверсайд. Калифорния занимает первое место среди штатов США по объему валового продукта — более 2 трлн. долл., что сопоставимо с ВВП всей Российской Федерации за 2014г. (номинальный ВВП РФ в 2014г. составил 1,861 трлн. долл., по ППС — 3,745 трлн. долл.). В Калифорнии проживает больше всего миллиардеров — около 80-ти из списка Forbes 400. Калифорния является самым населенным штатом в Америке — 38,4 млн. чел., которые проживают в 480 городах и в сельской местности. Штат занимает третье место по площади в США.

     Климат — средиземноморский, относительно прохладное лето и теплая зима, большое количество солнечных дней в году.

   Крупнейшими городами в Кремниевой долине являются — Сан-Франциско, Сан-Хосе, Сан-Мантео, Поло-Альто, Фримонт, Санта-Круз, Скотс-Валли, Ливермор и Плезантон.

     Инфраструктура — Кремниевая долина входит в тройку крупнейших технологических центров США (совместно с подобными центрами в Нью-Йорке и Вашингтоне).

     Интелектуальное ядро — Стэнфордский университет, частный иследовательский университет, один из самых престижных в мире и высоко котирующихся в академических рейтингах вузов США и мира. Располагается южнее Сан-Франциско, рядом с Поло-Альто. Стэнфорд ежегодно принимает в свои ряды около 7000 студентов и 8000 аспирантов. Многие из выпускников впоследствии пополняют ряды обитателей Кремниевой долины, работая в местных компаниях, иногда возглавляют их или инициируют собственные проекты и стартапы, некоторые из которых, становятся успешными компаниями, самые успешные – глобальными компаниями мирового уровня. Сюда же, можно отнести университет Сан–Хосе (обучается около 30 000 студентов, до 130 образовательных программ) и университет Санта–Клары (старейший частный университет штата), а также Калифорнийский университет в Санта–Крузе (один из объединения 10-ти публичных калифорнийских университетов (самый известный – университет Беркли)).

Компании Кремниевой долины.

    В настоящий момент около трех тысяч предприятий располагают свои головные офисы, представительства, центры разработки или производства в Кремниевой долине. Более трехсот компаний связаны с выпуском компьютеров, более тысячи занимаются созданием программного обеспечения.

    Пионеры, родоначальники, самые успешные компании Кремниевой долины:

Varian Associates – один из пионеров СВЧ технологий. Первыми заключили договор аренды со Стенфордским университетом в 1951г., а в 1953г. въехали в уже построенный офис в Кремниевой долине.

Hewlett–Packard – Hewlett – Packard Company (HP). Пожалуй, первая успешная глобальная транснациональная компания из Кремниевой долины. Информационные технологии, аппаратное и программное обеспечение, персональные и планшетные компьютеры, смартфоны, серверы, устройства хранения данных, сетевое оборудование, принтеры, сканеры и т.п. Основана в 1939г. Штаб квартира в Поло – Альто. Одна из самых дорогих компаний, торгуется на NYSE, тикер акций – HPQ.

Eastman Kodak – Eastman Kodak Со. (США). Первая компания, создавшая цифровой фотоаппарат. Основана в 1881г. В 2013г. завершила процедуру банкротства. Торгуется на NYSE, символ акций – EК.

General Electric – General Electric (CША). Глобальная, многоотраслевая корпорация, производство – электротехнического, энергетического, медицинского оборудования, бытовой техники, транспортное машиностроение, авиадвигатели, др. Создана 1978г. Торгуется на NYSE, тикер акций – GE.

Lockheed Corporation – Lockheed Martin Corporation (США). Глобальная компания, работает в оборонной и в авиа–космической отрасли, основной заказчик и потребитель правительство США. Основана в 1912г. Расположена в Бербанк (Калифорния). Торгуется на NYSE, символ акций – LMT.

Intel – intel Corporation. (США). Производитель электронных устройств и компьютерных компонентов – микропроцессоров, флэш–памяти, SSD–накопители, сетевое оборудование, серверы, чипсеты. Создана в 1968г. Штаб–квартира в Санта – Клара. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – INTC.

Apple – Apple Ink. (США). Производство ПК, планшетных компьютеров, аудиоплееров, телефонов и программного обеспечения – лидер индустрии. Основана в 1976г. Штаб квартира в Купертино. Одна из самых дорогих компаний, торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – AAPL.

Крупнейшие компании, входящие или входившие в разное время в ТОП Fortune 1000 располагающие свои офисы в Кремниевой долине.

Adobe — Adobe Systems, Incorporated. (США). Разработка программного обеспечения. Основана в 1982г. Офис в Сан–Хосе. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тиккер акций – ADBE.

AMD – Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (США). Производство микрочипов, процессоров, графических процессоров, чипсетов и флэш– памяти. Создана в 1969г. Офис в Саннинвейл. Торгуется на NYSE, символ акций – AMD.

Altera — Аltera. (США). Разработчик логистических интегральных схем. Основана в 1983г. Основана в 1983г. Офис в Сан–Хосе. Включена в индекс S&P 500, торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – ALTR.

Cisco – Cisco Systems, Inc. (США). Разработка и продажа сетевого оборудования. Создана в 1984г. Офис в Сан–Хосе. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – CSCO.

еВау – еВау Inc. (США). Услуги интернет аукциона, интернет магазина и осуществления мгновенных платежей (владеет PayPal). Основана в 1995г. Офис в Сан–Хосе. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – EBAY.

Electronic Arts – Electronic Arts (EA). (США). Разработка, производство и распространение видеоигр, пионер рынка. Основана в 1982г. Штаб квартира в Редвуде. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – ЕА.

Facebook – Facebook. (CША). Крупнейшая социальная сеть в мире. Основана в 2004г. Штаб–квартира в Пало–Альто, Менло–Парк. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – FB.

Google – Google, Inc. (CША). Крупнейший в мире интернет поисковик, облачные и рекламные технологии в интернете. Создана в 1998г., выход на биржу в 2004г. Штаб–квартира в Маутин–Вью. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – GOOG.

NetApp – NetApp, Inc. (США). Разработка и производство дисковых систем, и решений для хранения данных и управления информацией. Основана в 1992г. Штаб – квартира в Саннинвейл. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – NTAP.

Nvidia – NVIDIA Corporation. (США). Разработка графических ускорителей и процессоров. Создана в 1993г. Офис в Санта – Клара. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – NVDA.

Оracle – Oracle. (CША). Производство программного обеспечения, поставки серверного оборудования. Основана в 1977г. Штаб квартира в Рэдвуд Шорз, южнее Сан – Франциско. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – ORCL.

SanDisc – SanDisk. (CША). Крупнейший в мире разработчик и производитель носителей информации, карт памяти на базе флэш – памяти. Создана в 1988г. Офис в Милпитас. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – SNDK.

Symantec – Symantec. Разработка программного обеспечения в области информационной безопасности и её защиты, а так же программного обеспечения для ПК и центров обработки данных. Основана в 1982г. Офис в Купертино. Торгуется на NASDAQ, тикер акций – SYMC.

Yahoo! – Yahoo! (США). Вторая по популярности поисковая система в мире. Создана в 1995г. Офис в Саннинвейл. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – YHOO.

Хerox – Хerox Corporation. (США). Производство офисной, компьютерной и бытовой техники. Основана в 1906г. Торгуется на NYSE, тикер акций – XRX.

Tesla Motors – Tesla Motors. (CША). Производство электромобилей, создание инфраструктуры (сети станций подзарядки) для электромобилей. Основана в 2003г. Офис в Поло – Альто. Торгуется на NASDAQ, символ акций – TSLA.

Самые знаковые люди Кремниевой долины.

    Фредерик Эммонс Терман – профессор Стэнфордского университета, (сын Льюса Термана создателя IQ теста), которого многие считают отцом и идеологом и одним из первых «бизнес ангелов» Кремниевой долины. В 1951г. возглавил работу по созданию Стэнфордского индустриального парка, на землях переданных университетом для размещения высоко технологических компаний. На протяжении нескольких десятков лет участвовал в становлении и формировании главного бизнес инкубатора в мире. Поощрял своих студентов создавать собственные компании, в некоторые из которых он инвестировал собственные средства. 

     Уильям Шокли – лауреат Нобелевской премии 1956г. по физике. Изобрел плоскостной биполярный транзистор, руководил одной из первых лабораторий в Кремниевой долине. Инициатор и участник многочисленных скандалов, был не так удачлив, как многие из его бывших партнеров и сотрудников, которые уходя от него, запускали собственные успешные стартапы и создавали компании, в частности так возникли – Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel и многие другие проекты, в общей сложности более ста компаний.

   Уильям Миллер – профессор менеджмента и компьютерных наук Стенфордского университета. Основатель нескольких успешных стартапов и компаний, один из организаторов сетевого предпринимательского сообщества Joint Venture Silicon Valley Netvork в Кремниевой долине. При этом свою первую компанию он открыл в 60 лет!

    Самые успешные предприниматели Кремниевой долины – Билл Хьюлетт, Дейв Паккард (Hewlett–Packard), Гари Хендрикс (Symantec), Гордон Мур, Робберт Нойс и Энди Гроув (Intel), Ларри Эллисон (Oracle), Стив Джобс и Стив Возняк (Apple), Билл Гейтс (Microsoft), Пьер Омидьяр (еВау), Джерри Янг и Дэвид Файло (Yahoo!), Ларри Пейдж и Сергей Брин (Google), Эван Уильямс, Джек Дорси, Биз Стоун и Ноа Гласс (Twitter), Марк Цукерберг (Facebook), Илон Маск (РаyPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX) и многие, многие другие.

    Самые успешные предприниматели Кремниевой долины, выходцы из бывшего СССР и России – Сергей Брин (Google), Ян Кум (WhatsApp), Валентин Гапонцев (IPG Photonics), Юрий Мильнер (инвестор – Facebook, Zynga, Twitter, Spotify, Groupon и др.), Макс Левчин (PayPal), Сергей Белоусов (Parallels и Acronis), Григорий Шенкман и Алекc Милославский (Genesys Telecommunications Labaratories и Exigen Services), Степан Пачиков (ParaGraph и Evernote), Давид Ян (ABBYY, программы Fine Reader и Lingvo), Юрий Фрайман (Viewdle) и многие другие. *(По разным оценкам от 30 000 до 60 000 специалистов и членов их семей проживающих в Кремниевой долине являются выходцами из России.

    Кремниевая долина входит в тройку крупнейших технологических центров США (вместе с Нью–Йорком и Вашингтоном), всего там трудится около 400 000 специалистов ИТ–сферы. На каждую 1000 работников долины приходится порядка 300 специалистов IT–отрасли. Около 40% всех инженеров США работающих в области электроники, информатики и вычислительной техники работают в Калифорнии. 

    В школах Кремниевой долины процент детей имеющих высший коэффициент интеллектуальных способностей, измеряемых по принятым в США методикам, кратно превышает средний показатель по стране.

Основные факторы успеха Кремниевой долины:

1.Открытость, демократичность, акцент на горизонтальные связи, отсутствие вертикальных органов    управления.

2.Дух творчества, инновационность и креативность.

3.Доступность научных ресурсов, технологий и разработок.

4.Развитые коммуникации и высокий уровень сотрудничества и кооперации не смотря на высочайший уровень конкуренции.

5.Высочайшая, активность, мотивация и ориентированность на успех всех обитателей Кремниевой долины.

6.Наличие хорошо отработанной технологии продвижения стартапов начиная с посевной стадии, венчурное и промежуточное финансирование, до вывода наиболее успешных компаний на IPO. 

7.Ориентация на глобальные рынки, новые, прорывные и перспективные технологии.

8.Удачное местонахождение – в США с крупнейшей мировой экономикой и в штате Калифорния – одном из богатейших штатов Америки.

9.Минимальное государственного регулирование, хорошее законодательство, протекционизм, высокая скорость согласований, отсутствие засилья чиновников. Капитал и бизнес принимают основные решения и правят бал.

10.Кремниевая долина сумела привлечь крупнейших в мире инвесторов, лучших менторов, самых амбициозных бизнесменов и предпринимателей, ученых, а так же наиболее квалифицированных специалистов и работников. 

36:46 Силиконовая Долина — большие возможности!

Конкуренты, аналоги и подражатели Кремниевой долины – крупнейшие технологические парки, бизнес инкубаторы и инновационные центры мира.

Нью–Йорк, штат Нью – Йорк, США. Кремниевая аллея – трехмильная полоса земли, простирающаяся от квартала Челси до его южной оконечности.

Бостон, штат Массачусетс, США. Территория вдоль дороги 128 – «Восточная кремниевая долина».

Остин, штат Техас, США. Резиденты – более 2000 хай–тек компаний.

Солт–Лейк–Сити, штат Юта, США. Основные резиденты хай–тек компании.

Кембридж, Великобритания. Технопарк вокруг Кембриджского университета.

Мedicon Valley, Дания и Швеция (Копенгаген и Мальме) – крупнейший в Европе технологический парк. Основные направления – медицина, биотехнологии, пищевое производство, другие отрасли. В сфере разработок занято более 40 000 сотрудников и 4 000 ученых.

Телль – Авив, Израиль. Размещаются многие крупнейшие в мире хай–тек и телекоммуникационные компании.

Чжунгуаньцунь, Китай. Офисы и заводы Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Nokia и других мировых гигантов, зарегистрировано более 20 000 компаний с суммарной выручкой более 400 млрд. долл., обеспечивает занятость около 1 млн. работников.

Хсинчу, Тайвань. Располагаются многие крупнейшие азиатские и мировые компании производители полупроводников, компьютерной техники и других электронных устройств.

Бангалор, Индия – около 200 высших учебных заведений, является одним из мировых центров фармакалогии, биотехнологий, космических исследований, компьютерных технологий и аэронавтики, хотя начинал, как центр оффшорного программирования.

Сколково, Россия – Площадь отведенной территории 400 Га. Более подробно о проекте в другой статье: Сколково – промежуточные итоги и перспективы. utmagazine.ru/posts/10900-skolkovo-promezhutochnye-itogi-i-perspektivy

Informatics Valley, Турция – рядом со Стамбулом. Проект стартовал в одно время со Сколково в 2010г. Площадь отведенной территории 3000 Га. Планируется построить новый город для 150 000 жителей с научно – исследовательскими институтами, университетами, заводами по производству современного оборудования, больницами, спортивными сооружениями, детскими садами и школами.

Кремниевая долина — обратная сторона медали.

    1.Количество провальных и неуспешных проектов многократно превышает количество успешных. Венчурный бизнес, по определению является «зоной рискового земледелия». Десяток, другой мега успешных глобальных проектов мирового уровня и даже сотня успешных проектов – всего лишь вершина айсберга. Кремниевая долина это не только Hewlett–Packard, Intel, Apple, Googl, Facebook и ряд других успешных проектов, но и сотни или даже тысячи провальных стартапов, за всю её историю. До 95% (19 из 20) стартапов Кремниевой долины, даже если они и получают инвестиции, не добиваются заметных успехов. 

    2.Стоимость жизни, жилья и социальной инфраструктуры – поскольку в Кремниевой долине существенно более высокий уровень зарплат и доходов, чем в среднем по стране, это влияет на уровень стоимости жизни, жилья и всего остального. Тем, кто только начинает свою карьеру в Кремниевой долине, приходится искать недорогое жилье на окраинах городов или в пригородах. То же самое можно сказать о медицинском обслуживании, детских садах, школах, общественном транспорте и т.п.

   3.Кремниевая долина это мега-высоко конкурентная среда для всех её участников – инвесторов, бизнесменов, менторов, предпринимателей, стартарперов и наемных работников. Поэтому большая часть её обитателей вынуждена работать в условиях постоянного стресса, под угрозой провала или увольнения – больше и эффективней, чем во многих других местах США и мира. Психологические проблемы и проблемы со здоровьем становятся неизбежными спутниками многих участников этой ярмарки тщеславия и   погони за успехом, которыми во многом, характеризуется деловой климат в Кремниевой долине. Две трети из опрошенных предпринимателей долины признают наличие семейных проблем, половина – психологических, треть – наличие депрессии, что в разы или многократно превышает средние показатели по США.

1:30 «Кремниевая долина» трейлер («Кубик в кубе»).

Silicon Valley
From top, left to right: Aerial view of Silicon Valley; Stanford University in Stanford; Apple Park in Cupertino; Downtown San Jose; Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara; and City Hall & Center for Performing Arts in Mountain View
Silicon Valley
Coordinates: 37°22′39″N 122°04′03″W / 37.37750°N 122.06750°WCoordinates: 37°22′39″N 122°04′03″W / 37.37750°N 122.06750°W
Country	United States
State	California
Region	San Francisco Bay Area
Megaregion	Northern California
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)

Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of Santa Clara Valley.^[1][2][3] San Jose is Silicon Valley’s largest city, the third-largest in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States; other major Silicon Valley cities include Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Cupertino. The San Jose Metropolitan Area has the third-highest GDP per capita in the world (after Zürich, Switzerland and Oslo, Norway), according to the Brookings Institution,^[4] and, as of June 2021, has the highest percentage of homes valued at $1 million or more in the United States.^[5]

Silicon Valley is home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations, including the headquarters of more than 30 businesses in the Fortune 1000, and thousands of startup companies. Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States, which has helped it to become a leading hub and startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation. It was in Silicon Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit, the microprocessor, and the microcomputer, among other technologies, were developed. As of 2021, the region employed about a half million information technology workers.^[6]

As more high-tech companies were established across San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley, and then north towards the Bay Area’s two other major cities, San Francisco and Oakland, the term «Silicon Valley» came to have two definitions: a narrower geographic one, referring to Santa Clara County and southeastern San Mateo County, and a metonymical definition referring to high-tech businesses in the entire Bay Area. The term Silicon Valley is often used as a synecdoche for the American high-technology economic sector. The name also became a global synonym for leading high-tech research and enterprises, and thus inspired similarly named locations, as well as research parks and technology centers with comparable structures all around the world. Many headquarters of tech companies in Silicon Valley have become hotspots for tourism.^[7][8][9]

Etymology[edit]

«Silicon» refers to the chemical element used in silicon-based transistors and integrated circuit chips, which is the focus of a large number of computer hardware and software innovators and manufacturers in the region. The popularization of the name is credited to Don Hoefler.^[1] The first known appearance in print was in his article «Silicon Valley U.S.A.», in the January 11, 1971, issue of the weekly trade newspaper Electronic News. In preparation for this report, during a lunch meeting with marketing people who were visiting the area, he heard them use this term.^[10] However, the term did not gain widespread use until the early 1980s,^[1] at the time of the introduction of the IBM PC and numerous related hardware and software products to the consumer market.

The urbanized area is built upon an alluvial plain^[11] within a longitudinal valley formed by roughly parallel earthquake faults. The area between the faults subsided into a graben or dropped valley.^[12][13] Hoefler defined Silicon Valley as the urbanized parts of «the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley».^[10] Before the expansive growth of the tech industry, the region had been the largest fruit-producing and packing region in the world up through the 1960s, with 39 fruit canneries.^[14][15] The nickname it had been known as during that period was «the Valley of Heart’s Delight»,^[16][17]

History[edit]

Silicon Valley was born through the intersection of several contributing factors including a skilled science research base housed in area universities, plentiful venture capital, and steady U.S. Department of Defense spending. Stanford University leadership was especially important in the valley’s early development. Together these elements formed the basis of its growth and success.^[18]

Early military origins[edit]

The Bay Area had long been a major site of United States Navy research and technology. In 1909, Charles Herrold started the first radio station in the United States with regularly scheduled programming in San Jose. Later that year, Stanford University graduate Cyril Elwell purchased the U.S. patents for Poulsen arc radio transmission technology and founded the Federal Telegraph Corporation (FTC) in Palo Alto. Over the next decade, the FTC created the world’s first global radio communication system, and signed a contract with the Navy in 1912.^[19]

In 1933, Air Base Sunnyvale, California, was commissioned by the United States Government for use as a Naval Air Station (NAS) to house the airship USS Macon in Hangar One. The station was renamed NAS Moffett Field, and between 1933 and 1947, U.S. Navy blimps were based there.^[20]

A number of technology firms had set up shop in the area around Moffett Field to serve the Navy. When the Navy gave up its airship ambitions and moved most of its west coast operations to San Diego, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, forerunner of NASA) took over portions of Moffett Field for aeronautics research. Many of the original companies stayed, while new ones moved in. The immediate area was soon filled with aerospace firms, such as Lockheed, which was Silicon Valley’s largest employer from the 1950s into 1980s.^[21]

Role of Stanford University[edit]

Stanford University, its affiliates, and graduates have played a major role in the development of this area.^[22] A very powerful sense of regional solidarity accompanied the rise of Silicon Valley.^[23] From the 1890s, Stanford University’s leaders saw its mission as service to the (American) West and shaped the school accordingly. At the same time, the perceived exploitation of the West at the hands of eastern interests fueled booster-like attempts to build self-sufficient local industry. Thus regionalism helped align Stanford’s interests with those of the area’s high-tech firms for the first fifty years^[timeframe?] of Silicon Valley’s development.^[24]

Frederick Terman, as Stanford University’s dean of the school of engineering from 1946,^[25]
encouraged faculty and graduates to start their own companies. In 1951 Terman spearheaded the formation of Stanford Industrial Park (now Stanford Research Park, an area surrounding Page Mill Road, south west of El Camino Real and extending beyond Foothill Expressway to Arastradero Road), where the university leased portions of its land to high-tech firms.^[26] Terman is credited^{[by whom?]} with nurturing companies like Hewlett-Packard, Varian Associates, Eastman Kodak, General Electric, Lockheed Corporation, and other high-tech firms, until what would become Silicon Valley grew up around the Stanford University campus.

In 1951, to address the financial demands of Stanford’s growth requirements, and to provide local employment-opportunities for graduating students, Frederick Terman proposed leasing Stanford’s lands for use as an office park named the Stanford Industrial Park (later Stanford Research Park). Leases were limited^{[by whom?]} to high-technology companies. The first tenant was Varian Associates, founded by Stanford alumni in the 1930s to build military-radar components. Terman also found venture capital for civilian-technology start-ups. Hewlett-Packard became one of the major success-stories. Founded in 1939 in Packard’s garage by Stanford graduates Bill Hewlett and David Packard, Hewlett-Packard moved its offices into the Stanford Research Park shortly after 1953. In 1954 Stanford originated the Honors Cooperative Program to allow full-time employees of the companies to pursue graduate degrees from the university on a part-time basis. The initial companies signed five-year agreements in which they would pay double the tuition for each student in order to cover the costs. Hewlett-Packard has become the largest personal-computer manufacturer in the world, and transformed the home-printing market when it released the first thermal drop-on-demand ink-jet printer in 1984.^[27] Other early tenants included Eastman Kodak, General Electric, and Lockheed.^[28]

Rise of Silicon[edit]

In 1956, William Shockley, the co-inventor of the first working transistor (with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain), moved from New Jersey to Mountain View, California, to start Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to live closer to his ailing mother in Palo Alto. Shockley’s work served as the basis for many electronic developments for decades.^[29][30] Both Frederick Terman and William Shockley are often called «the father of Silicon Valley».^[31][32] In 1953, William Shockley left Bell Labs in a disagreement over the handling of the invention of the bipolar transistor. After returning to California Institute of Technology for a short while, Shockley moved to Mountain View, California, in 1956, and founded Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. Unlike many other researchers who used germanium as the semiconductor material, Shockley believed that silicon was the better material for making transistors. Shockley intended to replace the current transistor with a new three-element design (today known as the Shockley diode), but the design was considerably more difficult to build than the «simple» transistor. In 1957, Shockley decided to end research on the silicon transistor. As a result of Shockley’s abusive management style, eight engineers left the company to form Fairchild Semiconductor; Shockley referred to them as the «traitorous eight». Two of the original employees of Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, would go on to found Intel.^[33][34]

In 1957, Mohamed Atalla at Bell Labs developed the process of silicon surface passivation by thermal oxidation,^[35][36][37] which electrically stabilized silicon surfaces^[38] and reduced the concentration of electronic states at the surface.^[36] This enabled silicon to surpass the conductivity and performance of germanium, leading to silicon replacing germanium as the dominant semiconductor material,^[37][39] and paving the way for the mass-production of silicon semiconductor devices.^[40] This led to Atalla inventing the MOSFET (metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistor), also known as the MOS transistor, with his colleague Dawon Kahng in 1959.^[41] It was the first truly compact transistor that could be miniaturised and mass-produced for a wide range of uses,^[42] and is credited with starting the silicon revolution.^[39]

The MOSFET was initially overlooked and ignored by Bell Labs in favour of bipolar transistors, which led to Atalla resigning from Bell Labs and joining Hewlett-Packard in 1961.^[43] However, the MOSFET generated significant interest at RCA and Fairchild Semiconductor. In late 1960, Karl Zaininger and Charles Meuller fabricated a MOSFET at RCA, and Chih-Tang Sah built a MOS-controlled tetrode at Fairchild. MOS devices were later commercialized by General Microelectronics and Fairchild in 1964.^[41] The development of MOS technology became the focus of startup companies in California, such as Fairchild and Intel, fuelling the technological and economic growth of what would later be called Silicon Valley.^[44]

Following the 1959 inventions of the monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip by Robert Noyce at Fairchild, and the MOSFET (MOS transistor) by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs,^[41] Atalla first proposed the concept of the MOS integrated circuit (MOS IC) chip in 1960,^[42] and then the first commercial MOS IC was introduced by General Microelectronics in 1964.^[45] The development of the MOS IC led to the invention of the microprocessor,^[46] incorporating the functions of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit.^[47] The first single-chip microprocessor was the Intel 4004,^[48] designed and realized by Federico Faggin along with Ted Hoff, Masatoshi Shima and Stanley Mazor at Intel in 1971.^[46][49] In April 1974, Intel released the Intel 8080,^[50] a «computer on a chip», «the first truly usable microprocessor».

Origins of the Internet[edit]

On April 23, 1963, J. C. R. Licklider, the first director of the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) at The Pentagon’s ARPA issued an office memorandum addressed to Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network. It rescheduled a meeting in Palo Alto regarding his vision of a computer network, which he imagined as an electronic commons open to all, the main and essential medium of informational interaction for governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals.^{[51][52][53][54]} As head of IPTO from 1962 to 1964, «Licklider initiated three of the most important developments in information technology: the creation of computer science departments at several major universities, time-sharing, and networking.»^[54] In 1969, the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), operated one of the four original nodes that comprised ARPANET, predecessor to the Internet.^[55]

Emergence of venture capital[edit]

By the early 1970s, there were many semiconductor companies in the area, computer firms using their devices, and programming and service companies serving both. Industrial space was plentiful and housing was still inexpensive. Growth during this era was fueled by the emergence of venture capital on Sand Hill Road, beginning with Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital in 1972; the availability of venture capital exploded after the successful $1.3 billion IPO of Apple Computer in December 1980. Since the 1980s, Silicon Valley has been home to the largest concentration of venture capital firms in the world.^[56]

In 1971, Don Hoefler traced the origins of Silicon Valley firms, including via investments from Fairchild’s eight co-founders.^[10][57] The key investors in Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital were from the same group, directly leading to Tech Crunch 2014 estimate of 92 public firms of 130 related listed firms then worth over US$2.1 trillion with over 2,000 firms traced back to them.^[58]

Rise of computer culture[edit]

The Homebrew Computer Club was an informal group of electronic enthusiasts and technically minded hobbyists who gathered to trade parts, circuits, and information pertaining to DIY construction of computing devices.^[59] It was started by Gordon French and Fred Moore who met at the Community Computer Center in Menlo Park. They both were interested in maintaining a regular, open forum for people to get together to work on making computers more accessible to everyone.^[60]

The first meeting was held as of March 1975 at French’s garage in Menlo Park, San Mateo County, California; which was on occasion of the arrival of the MITS Altair microcomputer, the first unit sent to the area for review by People’s Computer Company. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs credit that first meeting with inspiring them to design the original Apple I and (successor) Apple II computers. As a result, the first preview of the Apple I was given at the Homebrew Computer Club.^[61] Subsequent meetings were held at an auditorium at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.^[62]

Advent of software[edit]

Although semiconductors are still a major component of the area’s economy, Silicon Valley has been most famous in recent years for innovations in software and Internet services. Silicon Valley has significantly influenced computer operating systems, software, and user interfaces.

Using money from NASA, the US Air Force, and ARPA, Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse and hypertext-based collaboration tools in the mid-1960s and 1970s while at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), first publicly demonstrated in 1968 in what is now known as The Mother of All Demos. Engelbart’s Augmentation Research Center at SRI was also involved in launching the ARPANET (precursor to the Internet) and starting the Network Information Center (now InterNIC). Xerox hired some of Engelbart’s best researchers beginning in the early 1970s. In turn, in the 1970s and 1980s, Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) played a pivotal role in object-oriented programming, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), Ethernet, PostScript, and laser printers.

While Xerox marketed equipment using its technologies, for the most part its technologies flourished elsewhere. The diaspora of Xerox inventions led directly to 3Com and Adobe Systems, and indirectly to Cisco, Apple Computer, and Microsoft. Apple’s Macintosh GUI was largely a result of Steve Jobs’ visit to PARC and the subsequent hiring of key personnel.^[63] Cisco’s impetus stemmed from the need to route a variety of protocols over Stanford University’s Ethernet campus network.^[64]

Internet age[edit]

Commercial use of the Internet became practical and grew slowly throughout the early 1990s. In 1995, commercial use of the Internet grew substantially and the initial wave of internet startups, Amazon.com, eBay, and the predecessor to Craigslist began operations.^[65]

Silicon Valley is generally considered to have been the center of the dot-com bubble, which started in the mid-1990s and collapsed after the NASDAQ stock market began to decline dramatically in April 2000. During the bubble era, real estate prices reached unprecedented levels. For a brief time, Sand Hill Road was home to the most expensive commercial real estate in the world, and the booming economy resulted in severe traffic congestion.

The PayPal Mafia is sometimes credited with inspiring the re-emergence of consumer-focused Internet companies after the dot-com bust of 2001.^[66] After the dot-com crash, Silicon Valley continues to maintain its status as one of the top research and development centers in the world. A 2006 The Wall Street Journal story found that 12 of the 20 most inventive towns in America were in California, and 10 of those were in Silicon Valley.^[67] San Jose led the list with 3,867 utility patents filed in 2005, and number two was Sunnyvale, at 1,881 utility patents.^[68] Silicon Valley is also home to a significant number of «Unicorn» ventures, referring to startup companies whose valuation has exceeded $1 billion dollars.^[69]

Economy[edit]

The San Francisco Bay Area has the largest concentration of high-tech companies in the United States, at 387,000 high-tech jobs, of which Silicon Valley accounts for 225,300 high-tech jobs. Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of high-tech workers of any metropolitan area, with 285.9 out of every 1,000 private-sector workers. Silicon Valley has the highest average high-tech salary in the United States at $144,800.^[70] Largely a result of the high technology sector, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area has the most millionaires and the most billionaires in the United States per capita.^[71]

The region is the biggest high-tech manufacturing center in the United States.^[72][73] The unemployment rate of the region was 9.4% in January 2009 and has decreased to a record low of 2.7% as of August 2019.^[74] Silicon Valley received 41% of all U.S. venture investment in 2011, and 46% in 2012.^[75] More traditional industries also recognize the potential of high-tech development, and several car manufacturers have opened offices in Silicon Valley to capitalize on its entrepreneurial ecosystem.^[76]

Manufacture of transistors is, or was, the core industry in Silicon Valley. The production workforce^[77] was for the most part composed of Asian and Latino immigrants who were paid low wages and worked in hazardous conditions due to the chemicals used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Technical, engineering, design, and administrative staffs were in large part^[78] well compensated.^[79]

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Housing[edit]

Silicon Valley has a severe housing shortage, caused by the market imbalance between jobs created and housing units built: from 2010 to 2015, many more jobs have been created than housing units built. (400,000 jobs, 60,000 housing units)^[80] This shortage has driven home prices extremely high, far out of the range of production workers.^[81] As of 2016 a two-bedroom apartment rented for about $2,500 while the median home price was about $1 million.^[80] The Financial Post called Silicon Valley the most expensive U.S. housing region.^[82] Homelessness is a problem with housing beyond the reach of middle-income residents; there is little shelter space other than in San Jose which, as of 2015, was making an effort to develop shelters by renovating old hotels.^[83]

The Economist also attributes the high cost of living to the success of the industries in this region. Although, this rift between high and low salaries is driving many residents out who can no longer afford to live there. In the Bay Area, the number of residents planning to leave within the next several years has had an increase of 35% since 2016, from 34% to 46%.^[84][85]

Notable companies[edit]

Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley. Among those, the following are in the Fortune 1000:

Additional notable companies headquartered in Silicon Valley (some of which are defunct, subsumed, or relocated) include:

Limits of growth[edit]

The wealth inequality in Silicon Valley is more pronounced than in any other regions of the US. According to 2021 national statistics, 23% of Silicon Valley residents lived below the poverty threshold. In March 2023, the Silicon Valley Bank had triggered a world-wide banking crisis, and an intervention by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The extreme growth by Silicon Valley companies and the resulting economic crisis had caused the demise of Silicon Valley Bank when the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation stepped in to protect the assets of local residents.^[86][87]

Demographics[edit]

Depending on what geographic regions are included in the meaning of the term, the population of Silicon Valley is between 3.5 and 4 million. A 1999 study by AnnaLee Saxenian for the Public Policy Institute of California reported that a third of Silicon Valley scientists and engineers were immigrants and that nearly a quarter of Silicon Valley’s high-technology firms since 1980 were run by Chinese (17 percent) or Indian descent CEOs (7 percent).^[88] There is a stratum of well-compensated technical employees and managers, including tens of thousands of «single-digit millionaires». This income and range of assets will support a middle-class lifestyle in Silicon Valley.^[89]

Diversity[edit]

Margaret O’Mara, a professor of history at the University of Washington, in 2019 pointed out problematic failures regarding diversity in Silicon Valley. Male oligopolies of high-tech power have recreated traditional environments that repress the talents and ambitions of women, people of color, and other minorities to the benefit of whites and Asian males. ^[90]

Gender[edit]

In November 2006, the University of California, Davis released a report analyzing business leadership by women within the state.^[91] The report showed that although 103 of the 400 largest public companies headquartered in California were located in Santa Clara County (the most of all counties), only 8.8% of Silicon Valley companies had women CEOs.^{[92]: 4, 7} This was the lowest percentage in the state.^[93] (San Francisco County had 19.2% and Marin County had 18.5%.)^[92]

Silicon Valley tech leadership positions are occupied almost exclusively by men.^[94] This is also represented in the number of new companies founded by women as well as the number of women-lead startups that receive venture capital funding. Wadhwa said he believes that a contributing factor is a lack of parental encouragement to study science and engineering.^[95] He also cited a lack of women role models and noted that most famous tech leaders—like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg—are men.^[94]

As of October 2014, some high-profile Silicon Valley firms were working actively to prepare and recruit women. Bloomberg reported that Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft attended the 20th annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference to actively recruit and potentially hire female engineers and technology experts.^[96] The same month, the second annual Platform Summit was held to discuss increasing racial and gender diversity in tech.^[97] As of April 2015 experienced women were engaged in creation of venture capital firms which leveraged women’s perspectives in funding of startups.^[98]

After UC Davis published its Study of California Women Business Leaders in November 2006,^[92] some San Jose Mercury News readers dismissed the possibility that sexism contributed in making Silicon Valley’s leadership gender gap the highest in the state. A January 2015 issue of Newsweek magazine featured an article detailing reports of sexism and misogyny in Silicon Valley.^[99] The article’s author, Nina Burleigh, asked, «Where were all these offended people when women like Heidi Roizen published accounts of having a venture capitalist stick her hand in his pants under a table while a deal was being discussed?»^[100]

Silicon Valley firms’ board of directors are composed of 15.7% women compared with 20.9% in the S&P 100.^[101]

The 2012 lawsuit Pao v. Kleiner Perkins was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court by executive Ellen Pao for gender discrimination against her employer, Kleiner Perkins.^[102] The case went to trial in February 2015. On March 27, 2015, the jury found in favor of Kleiner Perkins on all counts.^[103] Nevertheless, the case, which had wide press coverage, resulted in major advances in consciousness of gender discrimination on the part of venture capital and technology firms and their women employees.^[104][105] Two other cases have been filed against Facebook and Twitter.^[106]

Statistics[edit]

In 2014, tech companies Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Apple, and others, released corporate transparency reports that offered detailed employee breakdowns. In May, Google said 17% of its tech employees worldwide were women, and, in the U.S., 1% of its tech workers were black and 2% were Hispanic.^[107] June 2014 brought reports from Yahoo! and Facebook. Yahoo! said that 15% of its tech jobs were held by women, 2% of its tech employees were black and 4% Hispanic.^[108] Facebook reported that 15% of its tech workforce was female, and 3% was Hispanic and 1% was black.^[109] In August, Apple reported that 80% of its global tech staff was male and that, in the U.S., 54% of its tech jobs were staffed by Caucasians and 23% by Asians.^[110] Soon after, USA Today published an article about Silicon Valley’s lack of tech-industry diversity, pointing out that it is largely white or Asian, and male. «Blacks and Hispanics are largely absent,» it reported, «and women are underrepresented in Silicon Valley—from giant companies to start-ups to venture capital firms.»^[111] Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said of improving diversity in the tech industry, «This is the next step in the civil rights movement»^[112] while T. J. Rodgers has argued against Jackson’s assertions.

According to a 2019 Lincoln Network survey, 48% of high-tech workers in Silicon Valley identify as Christians, with Roman Catholicism (27%) being its largest branch, followed by Protestantism (19%).^[113] The same study found that 16% of high-tech workers identify as nothing in particular, 11% as something else, 8% as Agnostics, and 7% as Atheists. Around 4% of high-tech workers in Silicon Valley identify as Jews, 3% as Hindus, and 2% as Muslims.^[113]

Municipalities[edit]

The following Santa Clara County cities are traditionally considered to be in Silicon Valley (in alphabetical order):^[114][115]

The geographical boundaries of Silicon Valley have changed over the years. Historically, the term Silicon Valley was treated as synonymous with Santa Clara Valley,^[1][2][3] and then its meaning later evolved to refer to Santa Clara County plus adjacent regions in southern San Mateo County and southern Alameda County.^[116] However, over the years this geographical area has been expanded to include San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, and the northern parts of Alameda County and San Mateo County, this shift has occurred due to the expansion in the local economy and the development of new technologies.^[116]

The United States Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program defined Silicon Valley as the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.^[117]

In 2015, MIT researchers developed a novel method for measuring which towns are home to startups with higher growth potential and this defines Silicon Valley to center on the municipalities of Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.^[118][119]

Education[edit]

Funding for public schools in upscale Silicon Valley communities such as Woodside is often supplemented by grants from private foundations set up for that purpose and funded by local residents. Schools in less affluent areas such as East Palo Alto must depend on state funding.^[120]

Colleges and universities[edit]

Culture[edit]

Events[edit]

• Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, San Jose
• Facebook F8, San Jose
• BayCon, Santa Clara
• Christmas in the Park, San Jose
• Cinequest Film Festival, multiple venues
• FanimeCon, San Jose
• LiveStrong Challenge bike race, San Jose
• Los Altos Art and Wine Festival, Los Altos^[121]
• Mountain View Art and Wine Festival, Mountain View^[122]
• Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, Palo Alto^[123]
• San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, San Jose
• San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose
• San Jose Holiday Parade, San Jose
• Silicon Valley Comic Con, San Jose
• Silicon Valley Pride, San Jose
• Stanford Jazz Festival, Stanford

Graphic arts[edit]

• Allied Arts Guild, Menlo Park^[124][125]
• Pace Gallery, Palo Alto.^[126]
• Pacific Art League
• Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose

Museums[edit]

• Computer History Museum
• Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
• CuriOdyssey
• De Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University
• Hiller Aviation Museum
• History Park by History San José
• The HP Garage
• Intel Museum
• Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose
• Los Altos History Museum
• Moffett Field Historical Society Museum,
• Museum of American Heritage
• Palo Alto Art Center
• Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
• Portuguese Historical Museum
• Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
• San Mateo County History Museum
• San Jose Museum of Art
• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
• Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum
• The Tech Museum of Innovation
• Viet Museum
• Winchester Mystery House

Performing arts[edit]

• American Beethoven Society
• American Musical Theatre of San Jose
• Ballet San Jose
• Bing Concert Hall
• California Youth Symphony
• Opera San José
• Symphony Silicon Valley
• San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
• Broadway San Jose
• San Jose Repertory Theatre
• San Jose Youth Symphony
• San Jose Improv
• SjDANCEco
• Broadway by the Bay
• TheatreWorks Theatre Company

Media[edit]

In 1980, Intelligent Machines Journal changed its name to InfoWorld, and, with offices in Palo Alto, began covering the emergence of the microcomputer industry in the valley.^[128]

Local and national media cover Silicon Valley and its companies. CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News operate Silicon Valley bureaus out of Palo Alto. Public broadcaster KQED (TV) and KQED-FM, as well as the Bay Area’s local ABC station KGO-TV, operate bureaus in San Jose. KNTV, NBC’s local Bay Area affiliate «NBC Bay Area», is located in San Jose. Produced from this location is the nationally distributed TV Show «Tech Now» as well as the CNBC Silicon Valley bureau. San Jose-based media serving Silicon Valley include the San Jose Mercury News daily and the Metro Silicon Valley weekly.

Specialty media include El Observador and the San Jose / Silicon Valley Business Journal. Most of the Bay Area’s other major TV stations, newspapers, and media operate in San Francisco or Oakland. Patch.com operates various web portals, providing local news, discussion and events for residents of Silicon Valley. Mountain View has a public nonprofit station, KMVT-15. KMVT-15’s shows include Silicon Valley Education News (EdNews)-Edward Tico Producer.

Cultural references[edit]

Some appearances in media, in order by release date:

• A View to a Kill—1985 film from the James Bond series. Bond thwarts an elaborate ploy by the film’s antagonist, Max Zorin, to destroy Silicon Valley.^[129]
• Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires – 1996 documentary
• Pirates of Silicon Valley—1999 film about the early days of Apple Computer and Microsoft (though the latter has never been based in Silicon Valley)
• Code Monkeys—2007 comedy series
• The Social Network—2010 film
• Startups Silicon Valley—reality TV series, debuted 2012 on Bravo^[130]
• Betas—TV series, debuted 2013 on Amazon Video^[131]
• Jobs—2013 film
• The Internship—2013 comedy film about working at Google
• Silicon Valley—2014 American sitcom from HBO
• Halt and Catch Fire—2014 TV series, the last two seasons are primarily set in Silicon Valley
• Steve Jobs—2015 film
• Watch Dogs 2—2016 video game developed by Ubisoft
• Valley of the Boom—2019 docudrama about the 1990s tech boom in Silicon Valley
• Devs—2020 TV miniseries
• Start-Up—2020 South Korean television series, when three artificial intelligence (A.I.) developers from South Korea are offered positions as engineers for the fictional company, 2STO which is located in Silicon Valley.
• The Dropout—2022 TV miniseries about the rise and fall of Theranos
• Super Pumped—2022 TV series about Travis Kalanick’s time at Uber

See also[edit]

• List of tourist attractions in Silicon Valley
• List of places with «Silicon» names around the world
• List of technology centers around the world
• Semiconductor industry

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

• Santa Clara County: California’s Historic Silicon Valley—A National Park Service website
• Silicon Valley—An American Experience documentary broadcast in 2013
• Silicon Valley Cultures Project at the Wayback Machine (archived December 20, 2007) from San Jose State University
• Silicon Valley Historical Association
• The Birth of Silicon Valley
• Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce website

Компания	Сфера деятельности	Численность, десятки тысяч человек	Прибыль, млрд долларов в год
Activision	Американская компания по изданию и разработке компьютерных видеоигр. Основана 1 октября 1979 года. Эта компания стала первым независимым разработчиком игр для игровых приставок и персональных компьютеров. Первой продукцией компании стали игровые картриджи для Atari 2600.	9,8	9,6
Adobe	Adobe Systems, Incorporated — американская компания — разработчик программного обеспечения.	12	9,6
Alphabet	Владеет несколькими компаниями, ранее принадлежавшими Google Inc, и самой Google Inc в том числе. Во главе холдинга находятся сооснователи Google Ларри Пейдж и Сергей Брин.	98,7	30,736
Apple	Производитель персональных и планшетных компьютеров, аудиоплееров, телефонов, программного обеспечения. Один из пионеров в области персональных компьютеров и современных многозадачных операционных систем с графическим интерфейсом.	132	70,89
Caterpillar	Одна из ведущих корпораций по производству крупнейшей спецтехники в мире. Выпускает землеройно-транспортную технику, строительное оборудование, дизельные двигатели, энергетические установки и другие продукты, а также обувь	95,4	0,49
Chevron	Вторая после Exxon Mobil интегрированная энергетическая компания США, одна из крупнейших корпораций в мире.	64	19
Cisco	Американская транснациональная компания, разрабатывающая и продающая сетевое оборудование, предназначенное в основном для крупных организаций и телекоммуникационных предприятий	66	12
Disney	Основанная 16 октября 1923 года братьями Уолтером и Роем Диснеями как небольшая анимационная студия, в настоящее время является одной из крупнейших голливудских студий, владельцем 11 парков развлечений и двух аквапарков, а также нескольких сетей телерадиовещания, к числу которых относится, американская телерадиовещательная компания	195	14
Ebay	Компания, предоставляющая услуги в областях интернет-аукционов (основное поле деятельности) и интернет-магазинов.	12	3
Electronic Arts	Американская корпорация, которая занимается распространением видеоигр.	8,4	0,95
Facebook	Крупнейшая социальная сеть в мире	27,7	22,237
Fitbit	Производитель потребительской электроники и носимых устройств для фитнеса и здоровья с одноименным брендом	1,4	-0,08
Fox Broadcasting	Американская телевизионная сеть. Владельцем Fox является 21st Century Fox	20	3,2
HP	Американская IT-компания, образовавшаяся в 2015 году вместе с Hewlett Packard Enterprise в результате раздела Hewlett-Packard, унаследовала производство персональных компьютеров и принтеров	48	5,3
Intel	Производитель электронных устройств и компьютерных компонентов, включая микропроцессоры, наборы системной логики (чипсеты)	106	10
Linkedin	Социальная сеть для поиска и установления деловых контактов. В linkedin зарегистрировано более 500 млн пользователей	4	0,558
Mckesson	Фармацевтическая компания, крупный дистрибьютор лекарственных средств и оператор сети аптек	68	0,75
Netflix	Развлекательная компания, поставщик фильмов и сериалов на основе потокового мультимедиа	5,4	0,8
Nvidia	Технологическая компания, разработчик графических процессоров и систем-на-чипе (soc). Разработки NVIDIA получили распространение в индустрии видеоигр, сфере профессиональной визуализации, области высокопроизводительных вычислений и автомобильной промышленности, где бортовые компьютеры NVIDIA используются в качестве основы для беспилотных автомобилей. Важным фокусом для компании также является рынок искусственного интеллекта (ИИ).	11,5	3
Oracle	Корпорация, второй по величине доходов производитель программного обеспечения (после Microsoft), крупнейший производитель программного обеспечения для организаций, крупный поставщик серверного оборудования.	122	11
Paypal	Крупнейшая дебетовая электронная платёжная система. Позволяет клиентам оплачивать счета и покупки, отправлять и принимать денежные переводы. С октября 2002 года является подразделением компании ebay	3	0,8
Pixar	Киностудия, работающая в жанре компьютерной анимации. Расположена в Эмервиль, Калифорния, США. Студию Pixar основал в 1979 году Джордж Лукас (она тогда называлась «The Graphics Group» и была компьютерным подразделением Lucasfilm) после успеха своих «Звёздных войн». Киностудия, работающая в жанре компьютерной анимации. Расположена в Эмервиль, Калифорния, США. Студию Pixar основал в 1979 году Джордж Лукас (она тогда называлась «The Graphics Group» и была компьютерным подразделением Lucasfilm) после успеха своих «Звёздных войн». В 1986 году Стив Джобс выкупил компанию у Джорджа Лукаса за 5 миллионов долларов. Лукас поначалу оценил компанию в 30 миллионов долларов. В 2006 году после длительных и непростых переговоров студия была приобретена компанией Walt Disney Pictures за 7,4 миллиарда долларов, что сделало Стива Джобса крупнейшим акционером Walt Disney.	195 (Disney)	59,4(Disney)
Qualcomm	Компания по разработке и исследованию беспроводных средств связи, а также soc	35,5	6,3
Salesforce	Разработчик одноимённой CRM-системы, предоставляемой заказчикам исключительно по модели saas. Под наименованием Force.com компания предоставляет paas-платформу для самостоятельной разработки приложений, а под брендом Database.com — облачную систему управления базами данных.	19	47
Tesla	Производитель электромобилей и (через свой филиал solarcity) решений для хранения электрической энергии	37,5	-0,38
Twitter	Социальная сеть для публичного обмена сообщениями при помощи веб-интерфейса, SMS, средств мгновенного обмена сообщениями или сторонних программ-клиентов для пользователей интернета любого возраста	3	1,2
Visa	Транснациональная компания, предоставляющая услуги проведения платёжных операций. Является основой одноимённой ассоциации. Ежегодный торговый оборот по картам Visa составляет 4,8 триллиона долларов США	11,3	7,4
Warner Brothers	Один из крупнейших концернов по производству фильмов и телесериалов	87 (Warner Media)	6,2 (Warner Media)
Wells Fargo	Банковская компания, предоставляющая финансовые и страховые услуги в США, Канаде и Пуэрто-Рико. Крупнейший по рыночной капитализации в мире	269	21
Yelp	Веб-сайт для поиска на местном рынке услуг, например ресторанов или парикмахерских, с возможностью добавлять и просматривать рейтинги и обзоры этих услуг.	1	0,1

Немного занимательных фактов о Калифорнии

1. Калифорния занимает первое место в США по количеству населения (но не по территории) — почти 40 миллионов жителей.

2. Каждый восьмой американец живёт в Калифорнии.

3. Практически все знают, что такое Калифорния и где она, но мало кто знает, откуда произошло название «Калифорния». Она была названа по имени королевы Калифия (королевы амазонок!), выдуманного персонажа книги, которую написал испанец Гарси де Монтальво в 15-м веке.

4. Если бы Калифорния была независимым государством, она занимала бы 7-е место в мире по размеру экономики.

5. Если бы Лос-Анджелес был независимым штатом, он занимал бы 4-е место в США по размеру экономики.

6. Калифорния производит 100 процентов американских миндальных орехов.

7. Калифорния производит 75 процентов мирового урожая миндальных орехов. На заводе Blue Diamond в Сакраменто фасуется шесть миллионов килограммов миндальных орехов в день. Представьте себе.

8. Калифорния занимает первое место в США по производству сельхозпродуктов.

9. Калифорния занимает первое место по количеству индеек.

10. Первое место по урожаю клубники.

11. В Калифорнии открылся первый в США кинотеатр (в Лос-Анджелесе в 1902 году).

12. В Калифорнии правят демократы. Калифорния не голосовала за кандидата в президенты от республиканцев с 1988 года.

13. 25 процентов населения Калифорнии родилось за пределами США.

14. 15 процентов населения Калифорнии — выходцы из Азии (больше, чем в любом другом штате).

15. В Калифорнии живёт самое большое количество китайцев в одном месте за пределами Китая (в Сан-Франциско).

16. В Калифорнии живёт самое большое количество мексиканцев в одном месте за пределами Мексики (в Лос-Анджелесе).

17. В Калифорнии живёт самое большое количество армян в одном месте за пределами Армении (в Глендейле).

18. Калифорния занимает первое место в США по проценту и количеству людей, живущих на соцобеспечении. В Калифорнии живет 12 процентов населения США и калифорнийцы составляют 33 процента жителей США, живущих на соцобеспечении.

19. Калифорния занимает первое место в США по уровню налогообложения. Налог штата равен примерно 10%, в зависимости от дохода. Это в дополнение к федеральным налогам и налогам на продажи (от 7 до 10 процентов, в зависимости от места). Хотя налог на недвижимость меньше, чем в некоторых других штатах.

20. В Калифорнии самый высокий налог на бензин и самый дорогой бензин в США после Гавайев и Аляски.

21. В Калифорнии чрезвычайно высокие штрафы на нарушения дорожных правил. Заплатить несколько сотен долларов за нарушение — обычное дело. В Сан-Франциско штраф за проезд без билета в общественном транспорте выше 100 долларов.

22. Уже много лет разные организации, объединяющие бизнесменов, называют Калифорнию "самым плохим штатом для бизнеса". Кстати, самым лучшим штатом для бизнеса считается Техас.

23. Кстати, Техас в Калифорнии не любят примерно в такой же степени, если не сильнее, как в Сан-Франциско не любят Лос-Анжелес. Считают техасцев примитивными людьми с револьверами.

24. Из-за высокой стоимости жизни, налогов и по другим причинам Калифорнию за последние 20 лет покинуло 3.5 миллиона представителей среднего и богатого классов. Многие уехали в Техас.

25. Среди американских штатов Калифорния занимает 47-е место по состоянию дорог.

26. Калифорния занимает 1-е место в США по проценту и количеству людей, официально живущих за чертой бедности — 23 процента.

27. Если бы Калифорния была независимым государством, она бы занимала одно из первых мест в мире по относительной (к гос. бюджету) и абсолютной сумме гос. долга. В Неваде, Техасе и Аризоне есть штатные программы по устройству беженцев из Калифорнии

Поделиться:

Оставьте свой комментарий!

< Предыдущая		Следующая >

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module ‘Module:Pagetype/config’ not found.
Template:Use American English
Template:Use mdy dates

Script error: No such module «Settlement short description».

Silicon Valley
Region
Top to bottom: Downtown San Jose skyline; southward aerial view of Silicon Valley; Stanford University in Palo Alto.
Template:Location map
Country	United States
State	California
Region	San Francisco Bay Area
Megaregion	Northern California
Municipalities	List Atherton Belmont Campbell Cupertino Fremont Los Altos Los Altos Hills Los Gatos Menlo Park Milpitas Monte Sereno Morgan Hill Mountain View Palo Alto Redwood City San Carlos San Jose Santa Clara Saratoga Sunnyvale

Silicon Valley is a region in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology, innovation, and social media. It corresponds roughly to the geographical Santa Clara Valley, although its boundaries have increased in recent decades. San Jose is the Valley’s largest city, the third-largest in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States. Other major Silicon Valley cities include Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale.^[1] The San Jose Metropolitan Area has the third-highest GDP per capita in the world (after Zurich, Switzerland and Oslo, Norway), according to the Brookings Institution.^[2]

The word «silicon» in the name originally referred to the large number of innovators and manufacturers in the region specializing in silicon-based MOS transistors and integrated circuit chips. The area is now home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations, including the headquarters of more than 30 businesses in the Fortune 1000, and thousands of startup companies. Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States, which has helped it to become a leading hub and startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation and scientific development. It was in Silicon Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit, the microprocessor, and the microcomputer, among other technologies, were developed. As of 2013, the region employed about a quarter of a million information technology workers.^[3]

As more high-tech companies were established across San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley, and then north towards the Bay Area’s two other major cities, San Francisco and Oakland, the term «Silicon Valley» has come to have two definitions: a geographic one, referring to Santa Clara County, and a metonymical one, referring to all high-tech businesses in the Bay Area. The term is often used as a synecdoche for the American high-technology economic sector. The name also became a global synonym for leading high-tech research and enterprises, and thus inspired similar named locations, as well as research parks and technology centers with a comparable structure all around the world.

Due to the personal connection between people and technology, many headquarters of companies in Silicon Valley are a hotspot for tourism.^[4][5][6]

Origin of the term[]

The popularization of the name is credited to Don Hoefler, who first used it in the article «Silicon Valley USA», appearing in the January 11, 1971 issue of the weekly trade newspaper Electronic News.^[7] The term gained widespread use in the early 1980s, at the time of the introduction of the IBM PC and numerous related hardware and software products to the consumer market.

History (pre-1970s)[]

File:Birthplace-of-Silicon-Valley-Garage-on-5-September-2016.jpg

For Santa Clara Valley history, see Santa Clara Valley.

File:Silicon-Valley-Garage-Sign-05Sep2016.jpg

Silicon Valley was born through several contributing factors intersecting, including a skilled STEM research base housed in area universities, plentiful venture capital, and steady U.S. Department of Defense spending. Stanford University leadership was especially important in the valley’s early development. Together these elements formed the basis of its growth and success.^[8]

Military technology roots[]

File:SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA PALM TREE 2010.jpg

On August 23, 1899, the first ship-to-shore wireless telegraph message to be received in the US was from the San Francisco lightship outside the Golden Gate, signaling the return of the American fleet from the Philippines after their victory in the Spanish–American War.Template:When^[9] The ship had been outfitted with a wireless telegraph transmitter by a local newspaper, so that they could prepare a celebration on the return of the American sailors.^[10] Local historian Clyde Arbuckle states in Clyde Arbuckle’s History of San Jose^[11] that «California first heard the click of a telegraph key on September 11, 1853. It marked completion of an enterprise begun by a couple of San Francisco Merchants’ Exchange members named George Sweeney and Theodore E. Baugh…» He says, «In 1849, the gentleman established a wigwag telegraph station a top a high hill overlooking Portsmouth Squares for signaling arriving ships… The operator at the first station caught these signals by telescope and relayed them to the Merchant’s Exchange for the waiting business community.» Arbuckle points to the historic significance the Merchants Exchange Building (San Francisco) and Telegraph Hill, San Francisco when he goes on to say «The first station gave the name Telegraph to the hill on which it was located. It was known as the Inner Station; the second, as the Outer Station. Both used their primitive mode of communication until Messrs. Sweeney and Baugh connected the Outer Station directly with the Merchants’s Exchange by electric telegraph Wire.»

According to Arbuckle (p. 380–381) Sweeney and Baugh’s line was strictly an intra-city, San Francisco-based service; that is until California State Telegraph Company enfranchised on May 3, 1852; whereas, O.E. Allen and C. Burnham led the way to «build a line from San Francisco to Marysville via San Jose, Stockton, and Sacramento». Delays to construction occurred until September 1853; but, «…San Jose became the first station on the line when the wire arrived here on October 15. The line was completed when [James] Gamble’s northbound crew met a similar crew working southward from Marysville on October 24.»

The Bay Area had long been a major site of United States Navy research and technology. In 1909, Charles Herrold started the first radio station in the United States with regularly scheduled programming in San Jose. Later that year, Stanford University graduate Cyril Elwell purchased the U.S. patents for Poulsen arc radio transmission technology and founded the Federal Telegraph Corporation (FTC) in Palo Alto. Over the next decade, the FTC created the world’s first global radio communication system, and signed a contract with the Navy in 1912.^[12]

In 1933, Air Base Sunnyvale, California, was commissioned by the United States Government for use as a Naval Air Station (NAS) to house the airship USS Macon in Hangar One. The station was renamed NAS Moffett Field, and between 1933 and 1947, U.S. Navy blimps were based there.^[13] A number of technology firms had set up shop in the area around Moffett Field to serve the Navy. When the Navy gave up its airship ambitions and moved most of its west coast operations to San Diego, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, forerunner of NASA) took over portions of Moffett Field for aeronautics research. Many of the original companies stayed, while new ones moved in. The immediate area was soon filled with aerospace firms, such as Lockheed, which was Silicon Valley’s largest employer from the 1950s into 1980s.^[14]

Ham radio

The Bay Area was an early center of ham radio with about 10% of the operators in the United States. William Eitel, Jack McCullough, and Charles Litton, who together pioneered vacuum tube manufacturing in the Bay Area, were hobbyists with training in technology gained locally who participated in the development of shortwave radio by the ham radio hobby. High frequency, and especially, Very high frequency, VHF, transmission in the 10-meter band, required higher quality power tubes than were manufactured by the consortium of RCA, Western Electric, General Electric, Westinghouse which controlled vacuum tube manufacture. Litton, founder of Litton Industries, pioneered manufacturing techniques which resulted in the award of wartime contracts to manufacture transmitting tubes for radar to Eitel-McCullough, a San Bruno firm, which manufactured power-grid tubes for radio amateurs and aircraft radio equipment.^[15]

Welfare capitalism

A union organizing drive in 1939–40 at Eitel-McCullough by the strong Bay Area labor movement was fought off by adoption of a strategy of welfare capitalism which included pensions and other generous benefits, profit sharing, and such extras as a medical clinic and a cafeteria. An atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration was established.^[16] Successes have been few and far between^[17] for union organizing drives by UE and others in subsequent years.^[18]

U.S. response to Sputnik

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first space satellite, Sputnik, which sparked fear that the Soviet Union was pulling ahead technologically. After President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA), he turned to Fairchild Semiconductor,Template:Explain then the only company in the world that was able to make transistors. The president funded Fairchild’s project,Template:Explain which was highly successful.^[19]

Stanford University[]

Stanford University, its affiliates, and graduates have played a major role in the development of this area.^[20] Some examples include the work of Lee De Forest with his invention of a pioneering vacuum tube called the Audion and the oscilloscopes of Hewlett-Packard.

A very powerful sense of regional solidarity accompanied the rise of Silicon Valley. From the 1890s, Stanford University’s leaders saw its mission as service to the West and shaped the school accordingly. At the same time, the perceived exploitation of the West at the hands of eastern interests fueled booster-like attempts to build self-sufficient local industry. Thus, regionalism helped align Stanford’s interests with those of the area’s high-tech firms for the first fifty years of Silicon Valley’s development.^[21]

After World War II, Frederick Terman, as Stanford University’s dean of the school of engineering, encouraged faculty and graduates to start their own companies. In 1951, Terman spearheaded the creation of Stanford Industrial Park (now Stanford Research Park, an area surrounding Page Mill Road, south west of El Camino Real and extending beyond Foothill Expressway to Arastradero Road), whereby the University leased portions of its land to high-tech firms.^[22] He is credited with nurturing companies like Hewlett-Packard, Varian Associates, Eastman Kodak, General Electric, Lockheed Corporation, and other high-tech firms, until what would become Silicon Valley grew up around the Stanford University campus.

In 1956, William Shockley, the co-inventor of the first working transistor (with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain), moved from New Jersey to Mountain View, California, to start Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to live closer to his ailing mother in Palo Alto. Shockley’s work served as the basis for many electronic developments for decades.^[23][24] Both Fredrick Terman and William Shockley are often called «the father of Silicon Valley».^[25][26]

During 1955–85, solid state technology research and development at Stanford University followed three waves of industrial innovation made possible by support from private corporations, mainly Bell Telephone Laboratories, Shockley Semiconductor, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Xerox PARC. In 1969, the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), operated one of the four original nodes that comprised ARPANET, predecessor to the Internet.^[27]

Stanford Industrial Park

After World War II, universities were experiencing enormous demand due to returning students. To address the financial demands of Stanford’s growth requirements, and to provide local employment opportunities for graduating students, Frederick Terman proposed the leasing of Stanford’s lands for use as an office park, named the Stanford Industrial Park (later Stanford Research Park) in the year 1951. Leases were limited to high technology companies. Its first tenant was Varian Associates, founded by Stanford alumni in the 1930s to build military radar components. However, Terman also found venture capital for civilian technology start-ups. One of the major success stories was Hewlett-Packard. Founded in Packard’s garage by Stanford graduates William Hewlett and David Packard, Hewlett-Packard moved its offices into the Stanford Research Park shortly after 1953. In 1954, Stanford created the Honors Cooperative Program to allow full-time employees of the companies to pursue graduate degrees from the University on a part-time basis. The initial companies signed five-year agreements in which they would pay double the tuition for each student in order to cover the costs. Hewlett-Packard has become the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world, and transformed the home printing market when it released the first thermal drop-on-demand ink jet printer in 1984.^[28] Other early tenants included Eastman Kodak, General Electric, and Lockheed.^[29]

Silicon transistors[]

Main articles: Silicon and History of the transistor

Up until the late 1950s, germanium was the dominant semiconductor material for transistors and other semiconductor devices. Germanium was initially considered the more effective semiconductor material, as it was able to demonstrate better performance due to higher carrier mobility.^[30][31] The relative lack of performance in early silicon semiconductors was due to electrical conductivity being limited by unstable quantum surface states,^[32] preventing electricity from reliably penetrating the surface to reach the semiconducting silicon layer.^[33][34]

In 1953, William Shockley left Bell Labs in a disagreement over the handling of the invention of the bipolar transistor. After returning to California Institute of Technology for a short while, Shockley moved to Mountain View, California, in 1956, and founded Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. Unlike many other researchers who used germanium as the semiconductor material, Shockley believed that silicon was the better material for making transistors. Shockley intended to replace the current transistor with a new three-element design (today known as the Shockley diode), but the design was considerably more difficult to build than the «simple» transistor. In 1957, Shockley decided to end research on the silicon transistor. As a result of Shockley’s abusive management style, eight engineers left the company to form Fairchild Semiconductor; Shockley referred to them as the «traitorous eight«. Two of the original employees of Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, would go on to found Intel.^[35][36]

In 1957, Mohamed Atalla at Bell Labs developed the process of silicon surface passivation by thermal oxidation,^[37][38][31] which electrically stabilized silicon surfaces^[39] and reduced the concentration of electronic states at the surface.^[38] This enabled silicon to surpass the conductivity and performance of germanium, leading to silicon replacing germanium as the dominant semiconductor material,^[31][32] and paving the way for the mass-production of silicon semiconductor devices.^[40] This led to Atalla inventing the MOSFET (metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistor), also known as the MOS transistor, with his colleague Dawon Kahng in 1959.^[41] It was the first truly compact transistor that could be miniaturised and mass-produced for a wide range of uses,^[42] and is credited with starting the silicon revolution.^[32]

The MOSFET was initially overlooked and ignored by Bell Labs in favour of bipolar transistors, which led to Atalla resigning from Bell Labs and joining Hewlett-Packard in 1961.^[43] However, the MOSFET generated significant interest at RCA and Fairchild Semiconductor. In late 1960, Karl Zaininger and Charles Meuller fabricated a MOSFET at RCA, and Chih-Tang Sah built an MOS-controlled tetrode at Fairchild. MOS devices were later commercialized by General Microelectronics and Fairchild in 1964.^[41] The development of MOS technology became the focus of startup companies in California, such as Fairchild and Intel, fuelling the technological and economic growth of what would later be called Silicon Valley.^[44]

Computer networking[]

On April 23, 1963, J.C.R. Licklider, the first director of the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) at The Pentagon‘s ARPA issued an office memorandum addressed to Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network. It rescheduled a meeting in Palo Alto regarding his vision of a computer network which he imagined as an electronic commons open to all the main and essential medium of informational interaction for governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals.^{[45][46][47][48]} As head of IPTO from 1962 to 1964, «Licklider initiated three of the most important developments in information technology: the creation of computer science departments at several major universities, time-sharing, and networking.»^[48] By the late 1960s, his promotion of the concept had inspired a primitive version of his vision called ARPANET, which expanded into a network of networks in the 1970s that became the Internet.^[47]

Immigration reform[]

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and other factors such as the mass exodus by Vietnamese boat people resulted in significant immigration, particularly by Asians, Latinos, and Portuguese, to Silicon Valley where they contributed to both the high-tech and production workforce.^[49] The Asian-American population in Santa Clara County rose from 43,000 in 1970 to 430,000 in 2000. During the same period the Latino population grew to 24% in the county and 30% in San Jose. The African-American population in the county remained steady but grew slightly to about 5%.^[50] Expansion of the H-1B visa in 1990 also played a role.^[51]

History (post-1970)[]

Computer chips[]

Main article: Invention of the integrated circuit

Following the 1959 inventions of the monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip by Robert Noyce at Fairchild, and the MOSFET (MOS transistor) by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs,^[41] Atalla first proposed the concept of the MOS integrated circuit (MOS IC) chip in 1960,^[42] and then the first commercial MOS IC was introduced by General Microelectronics in 1964.^[52] The development of the MOS IC led to the invention of the microprocessor,^[53] incorporating the functions of a computer‘s central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit.^[54] The first single-chip microprocessor was the Intel 4004,^[55] designed and realized by Federico Faggin along with Ted Hoff, Masatoshi Shima and Stanley Mazor at Intel in 1971.^[53][56] In April 1974, Intel released the Intel 8080,^[57] a «computer on a chip», «the first truly usable microprocessor».

Homebrew Computer Club[]

Main article: Microcomputer revolution

File:Invitation to First Homebrew Computer Club meeting.jpg

The Homebrew Computer Club was an informal group of electronic enthusiasts and technically minded hobbyists who gathered to trade parts, circuits, and information pertaining to DIY construction of computing devices.^[58] It was started by Gordon French and Fred Moore who met at the Community Computer Center in Menlo Park. They both were interested in maintaining a regular, open forum for people to get together to work on making computers more accessible to everyone.^[59]

The first meeting was held as of March 1975 at French’s garage in Menlo Park, San Mateo County, California; which was on occasion of the arrival of the MITS Altair microcomputer, the first unit sent to the area for review by People’s Computer Company. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs credit that first meeting with inspiring them to design the original Apple I and (successor) Apple II computers. As a result, the first preview of the Apple I was given at the Homebrew Computer Club.^[60] Subsequent meetings were held at an auditorium at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.^[61]

Venture capital[]

By the early 1970s, there were many semiconductor companies in the area, computer firms using their devices, and programming and service companies serving both. Industrial space was plentiful and housing was still inexpensive. Growth during this era was fueled by the emergence of venture capital on Sand Hill Road, beginning with Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital in 1972; the availability of venture capital exploded after the successful $1.3 billion IPO of Apple Computer in December 1980. Since the 1980s, Silicon Valley has been home to the largest concentration of venture capital firms in the world.^[62]

In 1971 Don Hoefler traced the origins of Silicon Valley firms, including via investments from Fairchild‘s eight co-founders.^[7][63] The key investors in Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital were from the same group, directly leading to Tech Crunch 2014 estimate of 92 public firms of 130 related listed firms then worth over US$2.1 Trillion with over 2,000 firms traced back to them.^[64]
Template:Wide image

Law firms[]

Prior to 1970, most Northern California lawyers were based in San Francisco, especially the experienced patent attorneys whom the high-tech industry needed to protect its intellectual property. During the 1970s, lawyers began to follow venture capitalists down the Peninsula to serve the booming high-tech industry in Silicon Valley. One sign of the rapid expansion of Silicon Valley legal services was that Palo Alto law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati «expanded from a dozen attorneys in 1975 to more than 700 by 2000».^[65] During this era, law firms evolved from their «conventional role» as protectors of intellectual property into business advisers, intermediaries, and dealmakers, and thereby acquired «unusual prominence» in Silicon Valley.^[62]

Software[]

Although semiconductors are still a major component of the area’s economy, Silicon Valley has been most famous in recent years for innovations in software and Internet services. Silicon Valley has significantly influenced computer operating systems, software, and user interfaces.

Using money from NASA, the US Air Force, and ARPA, Doug Engelbart invented the mouse and hypertext-based collaboration tools in the mid-1960s and 1970s while at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), first publicly demonstrated in 1968 in what is now known as The Mother of All Demos. Engelbart’s Augmentation Research Center at SRI was also involved in launching the ARPANET (precursor to the Internet) and starting the Network Information Center (now InterNIC). Xerox hired some of Engelbart’s best researchers beginning in the early 1970s. In turn, in the 1970s and 1980s, Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) played a pivotal role in object-oriented programming, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), Ethernet, PostScript, and laser printers.

While Xerox marketed equipment using its technologies, for the most part its technologies flourished elsewhere. The diaspora of Xerox inventions led directly to 3Com and Adobe Systems, and indirectly to Cisco, Apple Computer, and Microsoft. Apple’s Macintosh GUI was largely a result of Steve Jobs’ visit to PARC and the subsequent hiring of key personnel.^[66] Cisco’s impetus stemmed from the need to route a variety of protocols over Stanford University‘s Ethernet campus network.^[67]

Internet age[]

Main article: Internet

Commercial use of the Internet became practical and grew slowly throughout the early 1990s.

In 1995, commercial use of the Internet grew substantially and the initial wave of internet startups, Amazon.com, eBay, and the predecessor to Craigslist began operations.^[68]

Dot-com bubble[]

Main article: dot-com bubble

Silicon Valley is generally considered to have been the center of the dot-com bubble, which started in the mid-1990s and collapsed after the NASDAQ stock market began to decline dramatically in April 2000. During the bubble era, real estate prices reached unprecedented levels. For a brief time, Sand Hill Road was home to the most expensive commercial real estate in the world, and the booming economy resulted in severe traffic congestion.

21st century[]

After the dot-com crash, Silicon Valley continues to maintain its status as one of the top research and development centers in the world. A 2006 The Wall Street Journal story found that 12 of the 20 most inventive towns in America were in California, and 10 of those were in Silicon Valley.^[69] San Jose led the list with 3,867 utility patents filed in 2005, and number two was Sunnyvale, at 1,881 utility patents.^[70] Silicon Valley is also home to a significant number of «Unicorn» ventures, referring to startup companies whose valuation has exceeded $1 billion dollars.^[71] However, taxes and the cost of living in Silicon Valley have prompted some corporations to gradually transfer their operations to the Midwest or Sun Belt states.^[72]

Economy[]

File:Aerial view of Apple Park dllu.jpg

File:Google Mountain View California — panoramio.jpgFile:Cisco San Jose (36000457264).jpgFile:Intel HQ.jpg

The San Francisco Bay Area has the largest concentration of high-tech companies in the United States, at 387,000 high-tech jobs, of which Silicon Valley accounts for 225,300 high-tech jobs. Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of high-tech workers of any metropolitan area, with 285.9 out of every 1,000 private-sector workers. Silicon Valley has the highest average high-tech salary in the United States at $144,800.^[73] Largely a result of the high technology sector, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area has the most millionaires and the most billionaires in the United States per capita.^[74]

The region is the biggest high-tech manufacturing centre in the United States.^[75][76] The unemployment rate of the region was 9.4% in January 2009 and has decreased to a record low of 2.7% as of August 2019.^[77] Silicon Valley received 41% of all U.S. venture investment in 2011, and 46% in 2012.^[78] More traditional industries also recognize the potential of high-tech development, and several car manufacturers have opened offices in Silicon Valley to capitalize on its entrepreneurial ecosystem.^[79]

File:Oracle Corporation HQ.png

File:Adobe World Headquarters.jpgFile:100 Winchester Circle.jpg

Manufacture of transistors is, or was, the core industry in Silicon Valley. The production workforce^[80] was for the most part composed of Asian and Latino immigrants who were paid low wages and worked in hazardous conditions due to the chemicals used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Technical, engineering, design, and administrative staffs were in large part^[81] well compensated.^[82]

Silicon Valley has a severe housing shortage, caused by the market imbalance between jobs created and housing units built: from 2010 to 2015, many more jobs have been created than housing units built. (400,000 jobs, 60,000 housing units)^[83] This shortage has driven home prices extremely high, far out of the range of production workers.^[84] As of 2016 a two-bedroom apartment rented for about $2,500 while the median home price was about $1 million.^[83] The Financial Post called Silicon Valley the most expensive U.S. housing region.^[85] Homelessness is a problem with housing beyond the reach of middle-income residents; there is little shelter space other than in San Jose which, as of 2015, was making an effort to develop shelters by renovating old hotels.^[86]

The Economist also attributes the high cost of living to the success of the industries in this region. Although, this rift between high and low salaries is driving many residents out who can no longer afford to live there. In the Bay Area, the number of residents planning to leave within the next several years has had an increase of 12% since 2016, from 34% to 46%.^[87][88]

Notable companies[]

File:Facebook Campus, Menlo Park, CA.jpg

File:TeslaMotors HQ PaloAlto.jpgFile:HP HQ campus 4.JPGFile:PayPal San Jose Headquarters.jpgFile:Yahoo Headquarters.jpg

See also: Category:Companies based in Silicon Valley

Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley. Among those, the following are in the Fortune 1000:

Additional notable companies headquartered (or with a significant presence) in Silicon Valley include (some defunct or subsumed):

Silicon Valley is also home to the high-tech superstore retail chain Fry’s Electronics.

U.S. Federal Government facilities[]

• Moffett Federal Airfield
• NASA Ames Research Center (Located inside Moffett)
• Onizuka Air Force Station (Closed 2010)
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
• VA Palo Alto Hospital

Demographics[]

Template:Multiple image
Depending on what geographic regions are included in the meaning of the term, the population of Silicon Valley is between 3.5 and 4 million. A 1999 study by AnnaLee Saxenian for the Public Policy Institute of California reported that a third of Silicon Valley scientists and engineers were immigrants and that nearly a quarter of Silicon Valley’s high-technology firms since 1980 were run by Chinese (17 percent) or Indian CEOs (7 percent).^[89] There is a stratum of well-compensated technical employees and managers, including 10s of thousands of «single-digit millionaires». This income and range of assets will support a middle-class lifestyle in Silicon Valley.^[90]

Diversity[]

File:Valencia Hotel, Santana Row, SJ 02.jpg

See also: Occupational inequality and Sexism in the technology industry

In November 2006, the University of California, Davis released a report analyzing business leadership by women within the state.^[91] The report showed that although 103 of the 400 largest public companies headquartered in California were located in Santa Clara County (the most of all counties), only 8.8% of Silicon Valley companies had women CEOs.^[92]Template:Rp This was the lowest percentage in the state.^[93] (San Francisco County had 19.2% and Marin County had 18.5%.)^[92]

Silicon Valley tech leadership positions are occupied almost exclusively by men.^[94] This is also represented in the number of new companies founded by women as well as the number of women-lead startups that receive venture capital funding. Wadhwa said he believes that a contributing factor is a lack of parental encouragement to study science and engineering.^[95] He also cited a lack of women role models and noted that most famous tech leaders—like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg—are men.^[94]

In 2014, tech companies Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Apple, and others, released corporate transparency reports that offered detailed employee breakdowns. In May, Google said 17% of its tech employees worldwide were women, and, in the U.S., 1% of its tech workers were black and 2% were Hispanic.^[96] June 2014 brought reports from Yahoo! and Facebook. Yahoo! said that 15% of its tech jobs were held by women, 2% of its tech employees were black and 4% Hispanic.^[97] Facebook reported that 15% of its tech workforce was female, and 3% was Hispanic and 1% was black.^[98] In August, Apple reported that 80% of its global tech staff was male and that, in the U.S., 54% of its tech jobs were staffed by Caucasians and 23% by Asians.^[99] Soon after, USA Today published an article about Silicon Valley’s lack of tech-industry diversity, pointing out that it is largely white or Asian, and male. «Blacks and Hispanics are largely absent,» it reported, «and women are underrepresented in Silicon Valley—from giant companies to start-ups to venture capital firms.»^[100] Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said of improving diversity in the tech industry, «This is the next step in the civil rights movement»^[101] while T.J. Rodgers has argued against Jackson’s assertions.

As of October 2014, some high-profile Silicon Valley firms were working actively to prepare and recruit women. Bloomberg reported that Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft attended the 20th annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference to actively recruit and potentially hire female engineers and technology experts.^[102] The same month, the second annual Platform Summit was held to discuss increasing racial and gender diversity in tech.^[103] As of April 2015 experienced women were engaged in creation of venture capital firms which leveraged women’s perspectives in funding of startups.^[104]

After UC Davis published its Study of California Women Business Leaders in November 2006,^[92] some San Jose Mercury News readers dismissed the possibility that sexism contributed in making Silicon Valley’s leadership gender gap the highest in the state. A January 2015 issue of Newsweek magazine featured an article detailing reports of sexism and misogyny in Silicon Valley.^[105] The article’s author, Nina Burleigh, asked, «Where were all these offended people when women like Heidi Roizen published accounts of having a venture capitalist stick her hand in his pants under a table while a deal was being discussed?»^[106]

Silicon Valley firms’ board of directors are composed of 15.7% women compared with 20.9% in the S&P 100.^[107]

Template:AnchorThe 2012 lawsuit Pao v. Kleiner Perkins was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court by executive Ellen Pao for gender discrimination against her employer, Kleiner Perkins.^[108] The case went to trial in February 2015. On March 27, 2015 the jury found in favor of Kleiner Perkins on all counts.^[109] Nevertheless, the case, which had wide press coverage, resulted in major advances in consciousness of gender discrimination on the part of venture capital and technology firms and their women employees.^[110][111] Two other cases have been filed against Facebook and Twitter.^[112]

Schools[]

Funding for public schools in upscale Silicon Valley communities such as Woodside is often supplemented by grants from private foundations set up for that purpose and funded by local residents. Schools in less affluent areas such as East Palo Alto must depend on state funding.^[113]

Municipalities[]

File:Map of Norcal highlighting Silicon Valley tech clusters.png

The following Santa Clara County cities are traditionally considered to be in Silicon Valley (in alphabetical order):Template:Citation needed

The geographical boundaries of Silicon Valley have changed over the years, traditionally Silicon Valley is known as Santa Clara County, southern San Mateo County and southern Alameda county.^[114] However, over the years this geographical area has been expanded to include San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, and the northern parts of Alameda County and San Mateo County, this shift has occurred due to the expansion in the local economy and the development of new technologies.^[114][115]

The United States Department of Labor‘s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program defined Silicon Valley as the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.^[116]

In 2015, MIT researchers developed a novel method for measuring which towns are home to startups with higher growth potential and this defines Silicon Valley to center on the municipalities of Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale.^[117][118]

Higher education[]

Template:Multiple image
Template:Multiple image

File:USA-Santa Clara-Mission-3.jpg

Culture[]

See also: List of attractions in Silicon Valley

Template:Multiple image
Template:Multiple image
Template:Multiple image
Silicon Valley’s art gallery, Pace Art and Technology Gallery in Menlo Park, opened on February 6, 2016.^[119]

In 1928, the Allied Arts Guild was formed in Menlo Park and is a complex of artist studios, shops, restaurant, and gardens.^[120][121]

Museums[]

• Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia,
• Computer History Museum,
• Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose,
• CuriOdyssey,
• De Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University,
• Filoli Estate,
• Forbes Mill,
• Hiller Aviation Museum,
• the HP Garage,^[122]
• the Intel Museum,^[122]
• Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University,^[122]
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose,
• Los Altos History Museum,
• Moffett Field Historical Society Museum,
• Museum of American Heritage,
• Palo Alto Art Center,
• Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo,
• Portuguese Historical Museum,
• Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum,
• San Mateo County History Museum,
• San Jose Museum of Art,
• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
• Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum,
• The Tech Museum of Innovation,
• Viet Museum,
• Winchester Mystery House,

Performing arts[]

• Opera San José
• Ballet San Jose
• California Youth Symphony
• Symphony Silicon Valley
• San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
• Broadway San Jose
• San Jose Repertory Theatre
• San Jose Youth Symphony
• San Jose Improv
• SjDANCEco
• Broadway by the Bay, Redwood City
• TheatreWorks Theatre Company, Palo Alto and Mountain View

Events[]

• Apple Worldwide Developers Conference
• Facebook F8
• BayCon, Santa Clara
• Christmas in the Park, downtown San Jose
• Cinequest Film Festival, multiple venues
• FanimeCon, downtown San Jose
• LiveStrong Challenge bike race, San Jose
• Los Altos Art and Wine Festival, Los Altos^[123]
• Mountain View Art and Wine Festival, Mountain View^[124]
• Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, Palo Alto^[125]
• San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, downtown San Jose
• San Jose Jazz Festival, downtown San Jose
• Silicon Valley Comic Con, downtown San Jose
• Stanford Jazz Festival, Stanford University

Media[]

In 1980, Intelligent Machines Journal changed its name to InfoWorld, and, with offices in Palo Alto, began covering the emergence of the microcomputer industry in the valley.^[126]

Local and national media cover Silicon Valley and its companies. CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News operate Silicon Valley bureaus out of Palo Alto. Public broadcaster KQED (TV) and KQED-FM, as well as the Bay Area’s local ABC station KGO-TV, operate bureaus in San Jose. KNTV, NBC’s local Bay Area affiliate «NBC Bay Area», is located in San Jose. Produced from this location is the nationally distributed TV Show «Tech Now» as well as the CNBC Silicon Valley bureau. San Jose-based media serving Silicon Valley include the San Jose Mercury News daily and the Metro Silicon Valley weekly.

Specialty media include El Observador and the San Jose / Silicon Valley Business Journal. Most of the Bay Area’s other major TV stations, newspapers, and media operate in San Francisco or Oakland. Patch.com operates various web portals, providing local news, discussion and events for residents of Silicon Valley. Mountain View has a public nonprofit station, KMVT-15. KMVT-15’s shows include Silicon Valley Education News (EdNews)-Edward Tico Producer.

Cultural references[]

Some appearances in media, in order by release date:

• A View to a Kill—1985 film from the James Bond series. Bond thwarts an elaborate ploy by the film’s antagonist, Max Zorin, to destroy Silicon Valley.^[127]
• Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires – 1996 documentary
• PlayStation Underground: Volume 2, Issue 2
• Pirates of Silicon Valley—1999 movie
• The Social Network—2010 movie
• Startups Silicon Valley—reality TV series, debuted 2012 on Bravo^[128]
• Betas—TV series, debuted 2013 on Amazon Video^[129]
• Jobs—2013 movie
• The Internship—2013 film about working at Google
• Silicon Valley—2014 American sitcom from HBO
• Watch Dogs 2—2016 video game developed by Ubisoft

See also[]

Template:Portal
Template:Category see also

References[]

Further reading[]

Template:Refbegin

Books[]

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

Journals and newspapers[]

• Kantor, Jodi (December 23, 2014). «A Brand New World in Which Men Ruled».
• Koenig, Neil (February 9, 2014). «Next Silicon Valleys: How did California get it so right?», BBC News.
• Template:Cite magazine
• Norr, Henry (December 27, 1999). «Growth of a Silicon Empire».
• Palmer, Barbara (February 4, 2004). «Red tile roofs in Bangalore: Stanford’s look copied in Silicon Valley and beyond».
• Schulz, Thomas (March 4, 2015). «Tomorrowland: How Silicon Valley Shapes Our Future».
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal (Subscription required for full text.)

Audiovisual[]

• Template:Cite AV media
• «A Weekend in Silicon Valley» (August 27, 2010).
• Template:Cite AV media

Template:Refend

External links[]

Template:Wikivoyage

• Santa Clara County: California’s Historic Silicon Valley—A National Park Service website
• Silicon Valley—An American Experience documentary broadcast in 2013
• Template:Webarchive from San Jose State University
• Silicon Valley Historical Association
• The Birth of Silicon Valley

Template:Silicon Valley
Template:San Jose and Silicon Valley attractions
Template:California
Template:USLargestMetros
Template:Coord
Template:Authority control