Given that "Silicon Valley" translates the world over as a byword for cash flow and technological savvy, wannabes everywhere have ventured their own niche namesakes. At last count, webmaster Keith Dawson, who tracks these chips off the old silicon block party (www.tbtf.com/siliconia.html), found 51 iterations in 72 geographic locations ranging from Australia's Billy-can Valley to Minnesota's Silicon Snowbank. But how to tell which are half-baked promotional schemes and which live up to the hype? Start with this map – a reality check of regional hyperbole (complete with each nickname's conception date). Factors in our rating system (based on discussions with local figures): IT infrastructure, proximity to universities and research centers, access to private funding, and disposition toward entrepreneurship.
Rating from 10 (epicenter) to 1 (backwater)
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10 – Silicon Valley San Francisco-to-San Jose corridor 1972 The standard by which all others are judged.
8 – Silicon Hills Austin, Texas 1988 An 8 going on 9. Apple, Dell, IBM, the University of Texas, SXSW, Quake, Fringe Ware. Enough said. But the handle may change: A local newspaper's poll turned up Silicon Ranch, Silicon Corral, and Lap Top Texas.
7 – Kempele Oulu, Finland 1996 Truly phenomenal. The Oulu region has produced several successful high tech firms and multiple millionaires. And keep an eye out for the Helsinki Arena 2000 project.
7 – Silicon Alley Manhattan 1995 Slow to start, but old money finally "gets the Web." Real money equals real opportunity. Still, some say there's no Alley (see "Sex Versus Equity? Are You Kidding?," page 113).
7 – Silicon Fen Cambridge, England 1983 Engineers are well fed thanks to Microsoft's new US$80 million facility, but the area is rather not entrepreneurial.
6 – Kista Suburb of Stockholm 1996 Kisel means "silicon" in Swedish, but it's only a coincidence. Not so many start-ups, but Kista's the beating heart of Sweden's vibrant high tech industry.
6 – Multimedia Gulch South of Market, San Francisco 1988 Perennial home to tinkerers, but the talent's restless. Better for industrial designers and metal fabricators.
6 – Shinjuku Tokyo 1995 Reminiscent of Blade Runner's LA, it's supercongested, superconnected – and supercharged with name companies. Not the place to start a business, but the Park Hyatt's the venue to negotiate the financing.
6 – Silicon Bog, aka Silicon Isle Ireland 1995 "Bog" is misleading, as the Celtic Tiger boasts the fastest-growing economy in Western Europe. Most major IT companies are present and accounted for, and it's the second-largest software exporter on the planet.
6 – Silicon Dominion Virginia 1997 Home to AOL, UUNet, and Network Solutions. Military budgets. Cold War tech. And, yeah, the nation's capital next door.
6 – Silicon Wadi Israel 1997 Tel Aviv's Atidim Park houses 85 high tech firms. Software exports are up and venture cap is flowing, but Israeli-Palestinian tensions remain a concern.
5 – Cyber District Summer and Congress Streets, Boston 1997 It's early yet. Not so many start-ups, but there's a useful network for existing shops.
5 – Hoxton Northwest London 1995 Mostly artists in lofts. For press notice, Carreras House – a "SmartReady" (superwired) building – may soon surpass it.
5 – Silicon Forest Seattle versus Portland 1986 Portland's got Intel, Redmond has Mr. Bill. Without him, Seattle would lose.
5 – Silicon Island Taiwan 1996 Unmatched mass producer – Taiwan, for example, makes 8 of every 10 mouses – but some chipmakers have scaled back. Still, the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park and a recent influx of entrepreneurs may turn it around.
5 – "Silicon Valley of the East" Dresden/Elbe River Valley, Germany 1998 Motorola, Siemens, and AMD either have built or plan to build local plants. Several other US firms are expected to announce investments here this fall.
5 – Sophia Antipolis South of France 1988 Relatively understated, it has been on the map for 15 years or so, but it's only in the last few that entrepreneurial efforts have taken off.
4 – Silicon Glen Glasgow to Edinburgh Late 1970s/1985 A proven IT production and distribution hub, but more a gateway than an incubator.
3 – Digital Coast, formerly Media Del Rey Greater Los Angeles 1996 Promising its own lifestyle mag, the Digital Coast is true to its roots: more brand than sand.
3 – Media Valley Inchon, Korea 1998 The Media Valley's only in its first phase of development, but it's plenty promising. For now the action remains in Taedok Science Town and Seoul's Yangjaedong (rate them both a 5).
3 – Silicon Plateau Bangalore, India 1995 Upside: Sun's up; home to hundreds of software companies, including Wipro; Indian Institute of Science nearby. Downside: Many of the institute's graduates skip town; frequent "brownouts."
3 – Softopia Gifu, Japan 1996 They built it midway between Tokyo and Osaka, but few came. Walk empty corridors! Startle lonely programmers! See Silicon Graphics Octanes collect dust!
2 – Silicon City Chicago 1998 Not trying to be another Silicon Valley – and it's a good thing, too. Plans for the Virtual High Tech District remain virtual. For the latest innovations, look slightly south to Champaign-Urbana, aka Silicon Prairie. Rate these twin cities a 5. (The claim to the nickname, however, is in dispute. According to Dawson, the moniker has been adopted by seven Midwestern tech associations.)
2 – Telecom Valley Minas Gerais, Brazil 1998 Home to CTBC, Brazil's only private telco, but that's about it. Better to watch Campinas (give that spot a 5), near São Paulo, which boasts IT, Unicamp (Brazil's Stanford), and Motorola and Compaq fabs.
1 – Czech Tech Prague 1998 Engineers and real estate developers are only now "studying" available land for the Prague Science and Technology Park.
