A Visit to the BirthPlace of Silicon Valley

On 11th September 2022, during a trip to Thee Silicon Valley, I visited the iconic Place: "Site of First Silicon Device and Research Manufacturing Company in Silicon Valley." - The Research Conducted here led to the Development of the Silicon Valley, 1956.

The above statement reminded me of the course/unit I took while in 1st Year at the School of Engineering, Moi University facilitated by Prof. Eng. Edwin Ataro , title: Engineering Profession. At the TOP of the hierarchy of the Engineering Profession, there is a #Scientist and then followed beneath it by an #Engineer. This goes further to explain why Silicon Valley Still Exists! This can simply be explained that Silicon Valley was founded on the basis of scientific #Research powered by brilliance and ingenuity of #Engineering, #Inventions, and #Innovations and later sustained by great systemic business processes, procedures, and workflows. This goes further to say that any Scientific ecosystem that starts with #Business then Engineering and finally Science is somehow bound to fail because what makes Scientific Sense may take in some worst case at least 5 Decades to make Business Sense. This is an ideal case of Artificial Intelligence (History Of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-1956) and "Digital Storage" (The World's First Hard Drive, 1956) which made Scientific Sense in the early 1950s but became a reality and a huge business success almost 50 - 70 years later.

1956: A Year Full of Coincidences

Science can be ready but if the business is not ready, then science and engineering have to be patient and wait for business to grow. Literally! Have you ever asked yourself why the best customer for complex and expensive science, technology, and engineering is always the #MILITARY? Now you have the answer. This is just but another way to say that Business Sustainability is Different from Scientific Sustainability and Scalability. A success Ecosystem treats these 2 instances as Mutually Inclusive leveraging on the SWOT of both!

Other Lessons I Learned from Silicon Valley Include:

Innovation and Entrepreneurship powered by Technology and backed by Science with a great Business Case is bound to survive all time!

Company Culture is a great factor in determining your next move. William Shockley leaving Nokia Bell Labs explains why Bell Labs keeps creating brilliant scientists into great innovators, inventors, and legendary entrepreneurs.

Great things starts small.

Amor Fati! - At times, the WORST happens to the Good people so that they are able to re-create the BEST. Some people are also bridge to greatness. Shockley is unknown to many but his efforts are literally powering the world. Through him, 飞兆半导体 was born which ended but directly and indirectly giving rise to 100s other 1st generation of companies powering the world; 英特尔 to mention just a few!

There will definitely be casualties of war for a successful revolution to take place. For this case, William Shockley was that man. #TheTraitorous8

Collaboration is the 21st Century Competition. The reason why it might be hard/difficult and to some regions it is almost impossible to replicate Silicon Valley model is the ability to Collaborate. Every company in Silicon Valley is dependent on another company to survive. No one wishes death to their competitor but the competition has to be fueled by the same collaboration. This goes farther to say that your competitor claps for your next invention because they know it will power their next innovation which will intern grow the next tech billionaire entrepreneur. Businesses empowers Academia to bake the best while software industries supports hardware giants to produce the best hardware which can handle their infinite computing demands. It is an ever-ending cycle.

Some of the Best Quotes on the Streets of The Village include:

Having been in the "Silicon Savannah of Africa" I can confirm with great certainty that Building Silicon Valley requires more than just Great Minds, Funds, Business Cases, Innovations, and above all Infrastructure. It requires long-term #Thinkers and #Doers (Beyond the Status Quo), People with the Right #Mindset, People willing to either Go Big or Go Home!, People who Worry about the Next 100 #Unicorns not just 1 #Shark or 2 #WhiteElephants or just a couple #CashCows.

Silicon Valley CAN be done anywhere else but it requires a different crop and breed of people to champion, lead, and run such initiatives. The chances of failure in the effort to replicate "Silicon Valley" elsewhere in the world is 9 out of 10 but this is a simple analogy of 1 (ONE) start-up will survive among the 10 that will be started. This then is a sure bet case of replicating Silicon Valley and treating it as a Start-Up!

Related work we did with Dr. Kiyeng P. Chumo, PhD can be accessed below.

IEEE | IEEE Photonics Society | IEEE Humanitarian Technologies | IEEE YP Kenya | IEEE Young Professionals | IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Middle East & Africa) | IEEE R8 Young Professionals | IEEE Industry Engagement | Konza Technopolis | IASP - International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation | Association of Countrywide Innovations Hubs