Silicon Valley

American  

noun

1. the area in northern California, southwest of San Francisco in the Santa Clara valley region, where many of the high-technology design and manufacturing companies in the semiconductor industry are concentrated.

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Silicon Valley British  

noun

1. an industrial strip in W California, extending S of San Francisco, in which the US information technology industry is concentrated

2. any area in which industries associated with information technology are concentrated

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Silicon Valley Cultural  

1. A region on the San Francisco Peninsula in California where the miniaturized electronics industry is centered, so called because most of the devices built there are made of semiconductors such as silicon.

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The term is often used as a catchword to describe the development of high-tech industry (see also high-tech): “If we can attract this corporation to our town, we could become another Silicon Valley.”

Etymology

Origin of Silicon Valley

So called from the silicon wafers employed in semiconductor devices

Example Sentences

Within Silicon Valley, it is battling for mind-share among young startup founders, software engineers and tech executives whose perceptions are largely shaped by what they see on social media—specifically X.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

For weeks, OpenAI’s top new executive had been buzzing about a talk show making the rounds in Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Allbirds, an eco-friendly shoe company that won over Silicon Valley, was sold a fraction of the $4 billion it was once worth.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

OpenAI completed the largest funding round in Silicon Valley history, raising $122 billion ahead of a blockbuster IPO expected by the end of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Vivek Paul is the president of Wipro Technologies, another of the elite Indian technology companies, but he is based in Silicon Valley to be close to Wipro’s American customers.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman