Reduces overhead but not the R D programs

"The year 2010 has been the best in the history of Intel and we are confident that the year 2011 will be even better," provided the week past Paul Otellini, President and CEO of the world number one of the chips. Language that can surprise, while the State of California through the worst financial crisis in its history, that economic stagnation is always in Golden State, such as around elsewhere in the United States... But Intel is not the only one to be worn as a charm. Look at, almost all the other champions of the Silicon Valley high-tech industry announce record profits, sales increase and... hire.

As before the crisis, the highways of the region are again crowded morning and evening, the car parks of technology firms are full and companies are fighting to retain their best employees... To prevent a bleeding, taxes and increase of 10 on 1 January of this year. The never-seen at this scale, even in the region.

More "objective" reflection of this renewed collective health of technology firms, the Nasdaq Index rose more than 600 points since February 2010. I.e. an increase of 30 of the technological values within a year! With regard to their counterparts not yet listed, start-ups, investors confirm that "the cases go well". An optimism that was more displayed for a long time.

How is this found dynamism First by the fact that the local technology companies - even the smallest - are actually touring the markets worldwide, including Asia, many of which are in full expansion. Reason why many start-up companies choose to begin their existence in Silicon Valley, even though in absolute terms, the costs are higher than elsewhere.

Another ground of explanation: the ability of businesses in the region to continue investments in innovation, especially in times of crisis. Reduces overhead, but not the R & D programs.

Finally, the current climate is also explained by a very specific commitment to exceed its traditional strengths. By investing heavily in nanotechnology, biotechnology and, more recently, in green technologies, the region is the means to create new jobs with high added value, to replace those which are destroyed, initiating a new growth.

Thus, overall, the number of jobs employees in Silicon Valley has little evolved for twenty years (with however very high decreases and increases in sporadic). But only a third of these jobs are now related to computers, against more than half in 1990...

Around San Jose, for example, considered the "capital" of Silicon Valley, technology parks like Evendale are there to witness this evolution. It now attracts firms clean-tech and biosciences throughout the world, but also from other States of the United States, like New York and Massachusetts, but known in these areas. Start-ups are here more than elsewhere, an ecosystem capable of accelerating their development.

This "natural" diversification (solar industry draws its roots from the semiconductor, number of research on biofuels come from biotechnology, etc.) also allows the best, who already have a job, finding of new professional challenges. So to stay rather than give in to the temptations of other innovative poles of the planet.

At this price, the Valley remains a land of immigration and not emigration jobs very high added value. So far, the question which stirs up many political and economic Golden State officials is whether technological Silicon Valley firms found vitality will be sufficient to draw to top the whole economy of the State, while the rate of unemployment (more than 12 of the active population) is generally higher than the average national and that public finances are in a State "worse than expected". The new Governor, Jerry Brown, just review ($29 billion) increase the budget of the State in 2011.

At the macroeconomic level, the situation is little better: the markets of the