Silicon Catalyst on the Road to $1 Trillion Industry

There were quite a few announcements at the Silicon Catalyst event at the Computer History Museum last week. The event itself was eventful with semiconductor legends in the audience and on the stage. First let’s talk about the announcements SCI made then we will talk about the event itself.

In addition to expanding in Japan and Australia, Silicon Catalyst added  more companies to their semiconductor industry leading accelerator:

Silicon Catalyst Announces Seven Newly Admitted Companies to Semiconductor Industry Accelerator.

Silicon Catalyst, the world’s only incubator focused exclusively on accelerating semiconductor solutions, continues to welcome innovative startups into its prestigious portfolio. The announcement, made on November 8, 2025, underscores the incubator’s mission to nurture next-generation chip design and fabrication technologies.

The newly admitted companies span diverse applications, from AI-optimized processors to advanced sensor systems and energy-efficient power management solutions. Each startup gains access to Silicon Catalyst’s extensive ecosystem, including in-kind tools from industry leaders like Arm, TSMC, and Synopsys, as well as mentorship from seasoned semiconductor executives.

“These companies represent the cutting edge of hardware innovation,” said Pete Rodriguez, CEO of Silicon Catalyst. “Their technologies address critical challenges in AI, IoT, automotive, and beyond.” The selected startups underwent a rigorous screening process, evaluating technical merit, market potential, and team strength.

Since its inception in 2015, Silicon Catalyst has supported over 60 companies, with more than $500 million in aggregate funding raised by its alumni. This latest group brings fresh intellectual property and novel architectures poised to shape the future of computing.

Bottom line: With semiconductor demand surging, Silicon Catalyst continues to play a pivotal role in bridging innovation and commercialization.

One of the topics discussed during the panel session at the event was when will the semiconductor industry will hit one trillion dollars thus the name of the event. One of the reasons why the semiconductor industry will hit one trillion dollars is because of start-up companies like the ones that are part of the SCI portfolio, many of which I have done CEO interviews and podcasts with. I also remember way back when Arm, TSMC, and TSMC were start-ups 30+ years ago. They have both taken collaboration to a new level with massive ecosystems surrounding them.

Yes, the Semiconductor industry will hit $1 trillion dollars. This discussion has been ongoing for several years but lately the date has been pulled in. My guess was 2030 but the panel now says it could be sooner due to the AI surge and the coming of quantum computing.

The event panel itself was filled with semiconductor luminaries, Dr. Ravi Subramanian for example. I worked for Ravi at Berkeley Design Automation as an advisor and spent time with him in Taiwan. He would routinely give master classes on how to develop customer and partner relationships based on trust, respect, and technology. I also worked with Solido Design and Fractal Technologies, both were acquired by Ravi’s team at Siemens EDA. So yes, Ravi is a good example of the many industry luminaries that collaborate with Silicon Catalyst.

The videos from the event are available here. Take a look at the panel discussion and you will see Ravi in action.

Silicon Catalyst is also very active in the semiconductor ecosystem, they are at just about every conference I attend here in Silicon Valley. The next one is the Quantum-to-Business Conference December 9-11th at the Santa Clara Convention Center. If you are interested there is a Silicon Catalyst discount code: SC-20-SV for 20% off admission. I hope to see you there.

Bottom line: The best talent attracts the best talent and the Silicon Catalyst ecosystem is full of the best talent, absolutely.

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