Chipping Away at the $8 Trillion ‘Siliconomy’

In the latest episode of the podcast “Changing Channels,” host Larry Walsh spoke with Trevor Vickers, the vice president and general manager of Intel’s global partner and support organization, about the concept of the “Siliconomy” – or the Silicon Economy – and how semiconductors are driving a new wave of innovation and opportunity.

The Siliconomy, a term coined by Intel, refers to the ubiquity of semiconductors in our digitally connected world. As Vickers explained, the need for compute power is growing exponentially, with the market expected to reach a trillion dollars in the next few years. This growth is driven by the increasing demand for connected devices and the need to modernize cities to accommodate the growing urban population.

Intel sees its role in the Siliconomy not only as a supplier of technology but also as a key player in diversifying the semiconductor supply chain. The company is investing in expanding its manufacturing capacity in the United States, Asia-Pacific, and Europe to ensure a more resilient and diverse supply chain.

The conversation also touched on the importance of partnerships in the Silicon Economy. Vickers emphasized that no one company can go it alone and that partnerships are critical to building solutions that meet the needs of customers. He highlighted Intel’s Partner Alliance program as a mechanism for scaling these partnerships and bringing together ISVs, GSIs, and other partners to co-engineer solutions.

When asked about the potential for new types of partners to emerge in the Siliconomy, Vickers acknowledged that Intel may need to get closer to the end consumers of technology to understand their unique use cases and workloads. However, he also stressed the importance of scale and the need for open standards to ensure that solutions can be easily deployed and run anywhere.

Looking ahead, Vickers outlined Intel’s agenda for facilitating the vision of the Siliconomy. He emphasized the need to work more closely with partners to develop the ecosystem, co-engineer solutions, and innovate on both the technology and business-model sides of the house.

As the world becomes increasingly digitally connected, the Siliconomy is poised to drive significant growth and opportunity. With partnerships and innovation at the forefront, companies like Intel are working to ensure that the infrastructure and solutions are in place to support this growth and drive the next wave of technological advancement.