The New Gold Rush

Why Semiconductors Will Reshape North America

We are about to see changes like never before.

No, really. North America is headed for an era of transformation. Much like the gold rush in the 1800s, a single product could transform the entire continent. But this time it won’t be shiny metals that take the lead; it will be semiconductors.

That’s why we decided to dedicate our research this week to understanding the semiconductor opportunity in the region.

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So join us as we explore semiconductors in North America! Oh, and did we not mention, we also have a weekly rundown of all you need to know in tech ;)

Inside Nido: What we are doing

It's not all research, last week our Managing Partner attended the SuperVenture US West event in Los Angeles where she met and reconnected with many prominent players in the ecosystem.

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In the Know with Nido: What we are reading

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In-depth with Nido: What we are thinking

Why Semiconductors Will Reshape North America

At times, North America becomes prey to a single product. In the mid-1800s, it was gold that reshaped the continent—most specifically the US. As the news began to spread that the newly incorporated territories were rich in precious metal, excitement grew with it. In a matter of years, almost 300,000 people abandoned their homes and headed to the West Coast. The so-called Gold Rush would redefine the continent beyond economics; it brought California—then a distant territory—into national prominence, as tycoons built massive railroad lines to connect the country as a whole and many risked it all in hopes of amassing great wealth. Simply put, gold became the object of the century.

But this time it isn’t shiny metals that will reshape the North American continent. Instead, the region is headed for an era of economic transformation fueled by a more modern alternative: semiconductors.

The reasoning behind this is rather simple but takes some time to explain—so bear with us for a bit! Semiconductors are a huge part of our lives—in fact, we could argue, that they are ubiquitous. Almost every piece of technology we use incorporates semiconductors in one form or another, be it the smartphone or computer in which you are reading this article or the many electronics in the cars that drive us to work, all of these products are powered by semiconductors (more on BBC ). They are so common that, in 2022 alone, the semiconductor industry reached sales of 618 billion U.S. dollars—for comparison, that is little more than half of Mexico’s entire GDP (more from Statista ). In a way, they really are like gold in the XIX century. At that time, people would carry gold with them in tiny bags, today, we carry phones full of semiconductors.?

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