Show Notes
- Host: Dan Hugo
- Summary: Las Vegas will not be the next Silicon Valley, most obviously because we do not make chips here (nor should we). How about Utah, how about Arizona? This is a seed episode to prompt some discussion the future about real comparison between places and what those places might become down the road.
About the Silicon
- Silicon Valley got its name from actual silicon, and its history of building fabs, wafers, and semiconductors in general.
- Where are the fabs today? Where will they be tomorrow?
- When people think Tech, do they think Silicon? Or do they think Unicorns?
Personal Experience
- About 15 years in Silicon Valley
- Grew up in Phoenix, worked at Intel Chandler
- Never been to Utah…
Utah is Killing It (Allegedly)
- Silicon Slopes seems to be a good idea.
- Multiple Active Communities, including Texas Intruments fab in Lehi (south of Salt Lake City)
- History of innovation since the 1960s?
Arizona is Already Silicon Valley (technically)
- Semiconductors were one of the three pillars of the Central Arizona Economy (Motorola, Intel, others), not to mention Electronics Assembly (Hamilton, Arrow, others) and Government Contracts (especially military, Hughes, McDonald-Douglas, others, historically)
- In the early 2000s when Translational Genomics broke ground on a facility in Phoenix, the addition of BioTech as a first-tier focus began (integrated vocational and post-graduate programs in the Maricopa County Community College system and of course, ASU, U of A, and NAU, and others)
- Several traditional Tech companies have moved into the Tempe/Chandler area, Mesa has been invigorated, basically the Valley of the Sun has been slowly but surely adding various technologies to its portfolio, on top of being a Tourism destination. Oh, and TSMC is breaking ground on a new fab…
What about Southern Nevada?
- Focus is very much on entertainment, gaming, growing professional sports, conventions and events, and tourism in general. This does not discount the Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem here, but it is in its infancy.
- Water constraints make a chip fab in Southern Nevada unlikely, essentially impossible
- Innovation Culture is lacking, in some places severely… this is where I would start.
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